An Uncertain Future
by affTwill
Summary: A Kirlia escapes an abusive trainer only to find herself caught by yet another human. With no knowledge of her life prior to imprisonment and no trust for her new trainer, she sets off, cursed by an uncontrollable power.
1. Price

The sun overhead shone on the secluded ranch style house that sat atop a large sprawling hill, miles set back into the forest west of Azalea town. Kirlia sat looking towards the solitary grime encrusted window that was the only hint of the outside world. It was dim where they were kept, the dirt floor only adding to the depressing air of their prison. Wes hated them; he hated all of the psychics that he kept here.

"There are no fights today," Abra said to her, his telepathic voice clear in her mind as he approached. He was walking away from another small group at the other end of the basement. She couldn't make them out clearly in the poor lighting but she knew their silhouettes well, there was rarely anything else to see down here. "Kadabra said there is going to be a few tomorrow though, and a big tournament on the weekend". She glanced over at one of the three familiar shadows.

"We missed the food didn't we?" It wasn't really even a question, Abra merely nodded in response. Kirlia sighed. The psi pokemon sat down beside her and she shifted her position to lean against him, glad to feel his warmth against her. Wes afforded them no comforts beyond the packed dirt floor and wooden walls. The two of them sat like that for a while and Kirlia's mind drifted to the upcoming fights.

She hated fighting, but Wes was convinced that she would gain the power to see into the future if she got stronger. And though he hated psychic types, insight into the future was enough of an incentive for him to keep her kind around. If there was a psychic to participate in the fights on his behalf, Kirlia would be the one making an appearance. Her fighting abilities were matched only by Kadabra's, and Wes had higher hopes for Gardevoir than an Alakazam, so she was picked for most of his battles when he needed a psychic.

Despite his wish to master the future, Wes couldn't care less about his pokemon as long as they won him more pokemon and money. The underground fights he ran brought in a lot of both, and the fact that they also brought in quite a number of unsavory people didn't seem to bother him in the slightest. That's how she had ended up here...

She had been captured by a different trainer when she was very young. She didn't even remember anymore where she was born, and only the faintest memories of her family. It seemed like a lifetime ago yet it hadn't even been a year, at least as far as she knew. The man who caught the tiny Ralts left her in the pokeball for almost the entire time he kept her. She had only been released once Wes had won her from the man. She didn't know which was worse, the dreamless sleep suspended in the pokeball, or sitting here consciously watching her life go by.

She glanced at Abra. No, she knew which was better, despite all the hardships and misery of this place. She wriggled closer to him. "Abra?" She asked, her voice quiet even though they were talking telepathically. "If we ever get out of here, well, I have nowhere to go. Can I stay with you?"

"_When_ we get out of here," he corrected her soothingly, "we will be together wherever we end up." Kirlia smiled and snuggled up against him. However unlikely it would be that either of them escaped this place, Kirlia was happy as she drifted off to sleep against the small fox like pokemon. Abra himself had no illusions of ever leaving this prison they were kept in, but he would give anything to make Kirlia smile, even if for just a moment. And with that, he too drifted off to peaceful slumber.

Kirlia woke to a shifting at her side feeling refreshed. She hadn't been tormented by the dark dreams that usually occupied her sleeping mind, and looking to her side, saw Abra trying to inconspicuously rejoin her. "Sorry for waking you, I tried to not bother you but I also didn't want us missing yet another meal," he apologized sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," she replied with a quick smile, taking the bowl he offered. It was a small thing, but it was the same gesture that months ago had saved her life. The food was the same as it had been for the past four months they'd been here. Truthfully it didn't really taste like anything, but it was dry and just as stale as the miniscule amount of water provided.

They quickly finished their morning meal. The only indication of time coming from the soft glow of the grimy window, and the fact that they had been fed. The light that entered their basement didn't change much other than going from very little light between sunrise and sundown to none at night. It had been disorienting getting used to it and every time she was brought out to fight she was blinded for a few minutes before her eyes could adjust. The only other light that ever touched their dark confinement was when one of the five psychic types imprisoned there practiced their abilities, or fought...

After their meal they had nothing left to do but wait. If Kadabra was right and Wes was running fights, there was a chance one of them would be called upon. It wasn't that often, but even Wes' hatred of them wouldn't keep him from using the psychic types if it meant winning.

Other than waiting there wasn't a whole lot to do. Kirlia didn't like the other pokemon who were kept locked up with her and tended to stay by Abra's side as much as she could. The others weren't cruel intentionally but they had been imprisoned far longer than she or Abra, and had long ago lost hope. Espeon especially seemed to be rather hostile towards her though she had no idea why.

Kirlia and Abra decided to entertain themselves for the time being by practicing various psychic maneuvers. Abra was quite impressive with his teleport ability and had shown her some very useful tricks to help her evade and confuse enemies. Kirlia had more raw power than her friend, but he had much more finesse. They stared at each other, the blue violet glow of their psychic energy playing across the room. She waited for him to make the first move, trying to read his energy and not let him surprise her like he normally did. And then it happened.

He was gone for a split second, but to her psychic eye, he had reappeared in two places. One was a fake and she swung to see him launching a psybeam at her. She went to dodge but a translucent barrier leapt up beside her. Panicking, she teleported out of the way without thinking, and he was ready for her. Psybeams from different directions were already converging on where she appeared. She teleported again into the same situation.

Abra was quick but she was still stronger than him, and she decided to try one of his tactics. She launched herself into a quick succession of three teleports, each time appearing for no more than a second and firing psybeams from each hand. Psychic blasts crisscrossed their impromptu arena, but she realized she had put too much into the attacks, not concentrating enough on her foe.

Upon rematerializing after her onslaught, she felt him, and noticed the paw that touched her back. She knew what was coming. It was a weak attack as they were only sparring, but the psybeam hit her square in the back. The energy from the attack lit up every nerve in her body in a sensory overwhelming jolt. She stumbled trying to quickly shake it off and turning to the victor.

"I can have all the power in the world but if I can't hit you it won't do me an ounce of good," she said jokingly as she congratulated her friend.

"You're getting quicker though, and we have all the time in the world to practice," he said with a mirthless chuckle. It was too true. Breathing hard the two sat back down in their corner and talked quietly for a while. Around what they assumed was midday they heard the sounds of fighting coming from above, the battles raged but no one came to drag them above.

The noise eventually died off and Abra had fallen asleep next to her. Kirlia usually joined him in his afternoon nap but despite the all too familiar monotony of her imprisonment, she actually almost felt happy today. Sitting there by herself she drew on her psychic energy and created a slow, swirling disk of blue and violet energies that gave off a soft light. She always enjoyed watching the beautiful colors of her psychic power swirl and shift, she wasn't just a tool of destruction.

Kirlia wasn't sure how long she sat, staring contentedly at the colorful disk floating before her, but a noise from above immediately snapped her out of the trance. She listened to the sounds the creature made as it descended into the basement. It was the sound of only two legs, she sighed as it would be Zoroark bringing their food down. Her suspicions were confirmed as the silhouette of the large maned fox rounded the corner from the stairs and dropped the food off before returning the way he came.

Zoroark held just as much love for them as Wes did, but his feelings were born of his loyalty to Wes, unlike Absol. She glanced over at the sleeping Abra and decided not to wake him; and upon hearing the door above close, she got up to grab some food for them. The sound of the door closing of course also triggered the other group to head for the food.

The others most likely wouldn't try and bully her away from the food, at least not anymore, but she would still rather avoid them. Not caring what they thought, she teleported next to the food on the ground and grabbed enough for her and Abra before once again teleporting back. Only Espeon ever seemed to look for a fight and even then rarely, but they would also occasionally mock Kirlia and Abra for being so close. Not that she cared what they thought or said anyway, but she was more or less in a good mood and didn't want them to interfere with it.

Kirlia sat back down next to her sleeping friend and slowly picked away at her portion of the meal. She finished and closed her eyes, going through the motions she had performed many times before. Kirlia reached out with her psychic energies, trying to feel the very fabric of the world around her. Wes seemed convinced that she would be able to see the future, and if she did develop those kinds of powers then maybe she could find a way to escape, not that she'd gotten anywhere so far. She jumped and let out a squeak as a bolt of psychic energy shot up her arm.

"How are those precognitive abilities coming along," Abra's voice questioned in an amused tone. Kirlia's shocked face turned to look at him and then to his surprise changed as she broke into a fit of giggles. Abra couldn't help but smile at her. True laughter was such a rare thing where they were, and she did look very pretty when she laughed... Abra blushed to himself and looked down, seeing the bowl of food she had gotten for him. "Thanks," he said as Kirlia got her laughter under control.

"Mhmm," Kirlia replied happily as she rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a time as Abra finished off the rest of the food and enjoyed the feel of Kirlia resting against him. Kirlia's good humor seemed to be rubbing off on him as his heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. He could almost believe that they _would_ make it out of this place someday.

Night fell and once again the basement was plunged into utter darkness. After a short discussion the pair resigned themselves to sleep, and for the second night in a row, Kirlia's dreams were a pleasant escape from her true life.

Kirlia woke slowly from her peaceful slumber and let out a choked squeal as she realized what had been tickling her chin. Fear coursed through her as she tried to back away from those blood red eyes now inches from her face. Abra's eyes shot open from the scream and instantly knew its cause. Absol was standing right in front of Kirlia with a wide grin on her face, clearly pleased by the response she had gotten from the frightened psychic type. Kirlia's heart raced as she unconsciously tried to push herself farther against the wall behind her.

"Don't you two just look precious?" Absol mocked, still with a deranged smile on her face. "Unfortunately Master won't let me play with you today, he says he needs you able to fight for him tomorrow," she continued, her breath hot against the frightened pokemon's face. Kirlia flinched as Absol brought one of her large paws to gently pat her on the cheek. The fuzz between Absol's thick pads tickled her face, but that smile only fueled her fear. "But don't worry, I'm sure we'll get to play again soon, and I think Master won't mind a little teaseing." With that she withdrew her paw quickly, but not before extending one of her razor sharp claws. Kirlia gasped as her cheek was sliced open, Absol already turning away and letting her tail whip Kirlia across the face as she headed towards the other group.

Abra pulled the trembling Kirlia to him, trying to calm her down. She had brought one of her hands to her injured face and could feel the blood starting to seep out of the wound. She was so stupid, allowing herself to get caught up in her happiness the past couple of days. It had been such a foreign feeling and she had allowed herself to forget.

Kirlia tried to hold back tears as Abra cradled her against his chest but it all rushed back with the helplessness Absol had reminded her of. Tears stung the open wound as they slid down her cheek. Kirlia tried to control her ragged breathing as Abra stroked her head but with little success, crying silently while trying to block out the sounds of the Chingling now being tormented by Absol. The large feline always got a sick pleasure from the tiny pokemon and the noises it made as she batted him around the basement.

Chingling had been the only one of them to every try and fight back, using its powerful sound abilities to try and stop Absol. The poor thing was practically mute now after that. Absol eventually returned back up the stairs, getting bored with Chingling and leaving them in silence aside from the occasional pitiful chime. Kirlia had calmed down a bit and now realized she was still hugging herself tightly to Abra's chest. She pulled away suddenly, her face flushing a slight green color.

"Sorry," she apologized as she returned to sitting next to him.

"Don't be," Abra replied.

"No, I'm such an idiot. I-I thought, the past few days, that maybe things would get better, but it won't will it?" She was almost back in tears again. "We're just going to-" She started but Abra didn't let her finish.

"I saw a light in your eyes the past couple of days that I haven't seen since we've been locked in here. Don't let them take that from you. It will get better, and we'll get out of here soon, you just have to bear with it a little longer okay? We _will_ get out of here." His words seemed to have some effect on Kirlia because her face softened a little. She nodded and forced herself to give him a small smile.

"Thank you," Kirlia said looking up at him, and he gave her a smile of his own before getting up.

"I'll get us some food, Absol brought it down with her."

Kirlia tried to eat but she found she didn't really have an appetite. Her face throbbed from the cut Absol had given her and with the mood she was in, just couldn't bring herself to take more than a few bites. She put her bowl down off to the side and decided to steel herself.

Kirlia gently moved closer to Abra, glancing up at him, their eyes meeting. Kirlia blushed lightly at his gaze but held it, her heart racing. After a moment Abra put his arms around her and pulled her close against him. Kirlia shifted in his embrace, trying to get as close as she could, her head nuzzled comfortably against his chest.

Kirlia felt safe shrouded in his arms. She could feel his heart beat against her uninjured cheek and the rise and fall of his chest, a part of the happiness that had been with her the past few days returning.

"Thank you," Kirlia whispered into his chest, for once not using her telepathy. Abra stroked her head, the moment bittersweet for him. She felt wonderful in his arms, and he wanted nothing more than to keep her safe, though he knew that he had no power to do so. He pushed those thoughts from his mind and just enjoyed the moment.

Kirlia didn't know how much time had passed when she opened her eyes again. She had fallen asleep against Abra's chest and judging by the slow, rhythmic breathing, he too was sleeping. She didn't want to disturb him, and simply laid there with Abra's arms gently draped over her. When his eyes opened she sidled up to him, shifting so she could sit at his side, one of his arms still wrapped around her. Abra used this to pull her in closer and she gave him a brief smile, ignoring the pain it caused to her cut.

Abra smiled back at her and glanced toward the window, light still filtering in through the grime, but only just. "You have to fight tomorrow." Abra's good mood fading slightly.

"I know," Kirlia's soft voice replied. "Are you worried about me?" She teased, smiling at him, her mirth not reflected in his worried eyes. Her face softened, "I'll be fine, Wes only tolerates us when he needs the type advantage, and I need to be stronger so that we can escape."

"Yeah but, just... Be careful. Please." He had never acted like this before, even with all of the other fights she had been in, but his concern warmed her.

"I will" she replied, nuzzling his shoulder.

When their next meal came, Kirlia went and got if for them, sitting down and handing Abra a bowl. He thanked her but looked distracted as he picked at the food. "Is something wrong?" she asked, looking worriedly at him.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing really, I know I don't have any precog abilities yet but... I just have a feeling I can't shake that something is going to happen." He didn't look at her but she knew what he was thinking about.

"I," Kirlia said, assuming a mock self-important kind of tone, "have actually been trying to practice my precog abilities and have had a feeling since we woke up earlier. We won't be in this place much longer. I thought it was just wishful thinking but I can feel it now. It won't be long until we both escape this place, and then we'll have nothing to worry us." She wrapped her arms around one of his as she finished and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Well I guess I have nothing to worry about then," Abra said as he let himself be comforted by her touch.

"Exactly," Kirlia mumbled happily at his side, wriggling closer to him. She started to protest as Abra pulled his arm from her grasp but was quickly silenced as he wrapped his arms around her small frame and pulled her close. She sighed contentedly.

"Sleep well," Abra whispered into the top of her head. She made a small noise against Abra's chest but was almost already asleep. Abra smiled as he glanced down at the now sleeping Kirlia, and with a small laugh at how fast she fell asleep in his arms, quickly joined her.

Kirlia woke early the next morning glad at the comfort of still being snuggled up against Abra but greeted by a much less welcome presence.

"Get up, you fight in an hour," came Zoroark's voice as she looked up and saw him standing over the two previously sleeping pokemon. "And clean yourself up, you look like shit," he said, throwing a cloth onto her and walking off. Kirlia pulled herself from Abra as she sat up, taking the cloth.

"I think you look great," Abra said to her, his voice soothing if a little sleepy. Kirlia felt herself blush slightly at the comment but smiled at him. She ran one of her hands across the cut Absol had given her. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it did the other day but she could still feel flakes of her dried blood on her cheek. She dipped the cloth Zoroark had given her into her water and began trying to wash some of the blood and grime off of her.

While Kirlia cleaned herself up, Abra went over to where Zoroark had left the food and grabbed some for Kirlia and himself. He was worried about her, and the feeling he had yesterday was still with him, though Kirlia did have a point. She was far from helpless, she could handle much more psychic power than he could and she was a good fighter, quick to adapt. Even though they didn't spar frequently, he didn't think he'd be able to keep ahead of her much longer even with his quicker speed.

Whatever happened he couldn't do anything about it, powerless to help or protect her, the best he could do was to keep her spirits up. As he rejoined Kirlia he pushed down the worry he was feeling and tried to sound positive as he placed a bowl next to Kirlia who was still working at cleaning herself with the cloth.

Kirlia ate quickly, not that it ever really took long with the pittance they were fed, and looked at the subdued Abra she sat next to. "I'm going to be fine," she said softly to him. He looked up from the bowl he had been pushing his food around in.

"Am I that easy to read? I know you will," Abra replied quickly forcing a grin.

"You don't look like you think that," she said, and gave him a quick poke in the side. "You've helped me get much faster and I've always been able to hit hard, I doubt they'll even land a blow on me out there."

"Well then I guess you'll have to prove it to me. Prove it to me that you can win without being touched."

"Maybe I'll do just that," Kirlia said poking him once more but this time following it up by grabbing his arm and pulling herself close to him. Abra couldn't help but give a genuine smile at her confidence. They just sat there together until it was time.

"Well, I guess I should get going," Kirlia sighed, picking herself up as Abra stood with her.

"Good luck."

"Thanks," Kirlia gave him a smile and turned to head up towards the stairs. She hadn't taken more than a half step before she was spun around from behind. She gave a surprised squeak as she was thrown into a fierce hug but melted once in Abra's embrace.

"Promise me you'll come back safe."

"I promise," she nuzzled his neck and reluctantly broke away. "I'll see you soon." Abra watched her disappear around the corner as she headed up the stairs to the impending fight. And with that, he sat himself down and did the only thing he could, hope and wait.

Kirlia emerged from the stairway and into the house above. She was forced to squint her eyes at the brilliance of the direct sunlight shining into the room. She didn't care much about getting stronger in battle besides the thoughts of escape, but she did smile however. She enjoyed the feel of the sun on her skin and how it lit up the grass and trees. At least there was something she could look forward to while being forced to fight.

Walking through the house, Kirlia headed towards the back door and out to where Wes had his arena constructed. Abra had explained it to her as she knew nothing of human affairs, but Wes' underground fights weren't sanctioned by the pokemon league, and didn't follow the rules they dictated to keep all parties involved safe.

Fights rarely ended before one of the participating pokemon was seriously injured, and more than one pokemon had died in these fights. She opened the door and stepped out into the fresh spring air, gazing over the crowd gathered around the arena. No reputable trainer would be caught dead participating in unsanctioned matches, but for those who were willing to risk the safety of their pokemon, good money could be made here.

Kirlia walked towards where Wes was standing, the field placed away from the house to reduce the risk of damage. She stopped a ways back not wanting to bother him, he would call her when it was her turn to fight. Zoroark turned and noted her presence. She didn't really know what rules he had for battling since it seemed like truly powerful pokemon never fought. Wes' Absol and Zoroark were far more powerful than any of the other pokemon he had but as far as she knew he never used them in fights.

She didn't really care either and turned to watch the two who were currently battling. A Vulpix and Makuhita were trading light blows with each other. The match must have just started as it seemed they were still sizing each other up. The Vulpix was certainly quick but Makuhita had raw power and endurance, the two seemed fairly evenly matched and from the noise the crowd was making, it was turning out to be an interesting fight.

Kirlia tried to ignore the commands that the trainers were yelling at their pokemon and just focused on the combatants. Vulpix suddenly increased her attack's strength and shot a powerful ember at Makuhita, using its speed to keep away from the fighting pokemon. Makuhita took the brunt of the wild flames but shrugged it off and rushed the small fox.

"Fake out!" Kirlia heard one of the trainers shout and Makuhita rushed in. Vulpix tried to stave off the oncoming pokemon with a quick burst of flames but Makuhita ran straight through them. The attack didn't hit hard but Vulpix flinched. Makuhita took this opportunity to drive his fist into the Vulpix's side, sending it skittering across the ground.

The thrown fox struggled back to its feet but Makuhita didn't give it any time to recover before continuing its offense. Vulpix barely managed to get out of the way of Makuhita's tackle with a quick attack of her own to dodge. Makuhita didn't let the miss throw him off for long and quickly changed directions to begin at the fire fox once again.

Vulpix engulfed herself in flames, a heat haze billowing overhead, as it whipped up a fire spin as a last ditch effort to stop the fighting pokemon. While it hesitated a brief moment, Makuhita still launched himself onto the burning fox. Flesh hissed as the larger pokemon crushed the flame covered fox into the ground, a mixture of dust and smoke rising from them.

The two disengaged, backing off and slowly circling the other, checking the severity of their injuries. They both were breathing hard, each closely eying the other for any opening they could take advantage of.

Makuhita had a number of painful looking burns along its body but if a little slower than when he started, didn't look too bad. Vulpix on the other hand was trying to hide that one of its legs was injured, but Kirlia could see Vulpix reluctant to put weight on it.

"Now!" the trainer at Makuhita's side of the field shouted and it launched itself towards the Vulpix who stood its ground and shot flames at the incoming opponent. Makuhita roared as the flames covered his body but didn't let it stop him from barreling into the fire type.

"Vital throw!" came another command and with that Makuhita grabbed the surprised fox by the throat and violently launched it into the ground where it ceased to move. Makuhita landed a small distance away, pain obvious on his face from the burns, but still standing. The Vulpix's trainer was shouting at it to get up but it didn't so much as twitch.

Makuhita moved towards the downed vulpix to ensure the fight was finished, but the match was quickly called with Makuhita's trainer as the winner. Kirlia would be up next.

She waited for Wes to motion her over before joining him. If nothing else could be said about the man, he knew how to win pokemon battles, and even if he did disregard the wellbeing of his pokemon, he was good at what he did. Kirlia could see the hatred burning behind his cold eyes as he looked at her, but when he spoke it was calm and dispassionate.

"You'll be fighting a Nidorino. He is stronger than you but you will have the type advantage so don't let him get close and end it quickly. Your speed has been improving so don't disappoint me." He was confident in this fight, she could see it. He was expecting to win without much effort. His expression changed for a moment though, letting some of his hatred show through. "I have a lot riding on this fight, if you screw this up..." He left the threat unfinished but Kirlia didn't need him to complete it, she knew what was on the line for her.

She nodded and followed as he turned his back to her and headed towards the trainer's box at one end of the battlefield. The onlookers hushed as Wes took his place and Kirlia walked out onto her side of the field. Wes' skill in battle was well known by those who frequented his underground fights and he rarely lost. The man who was standing across from him now however was a newcomer, but he carried an arrogant pose as his Nidorino took its place opposite Kirlia.

"Begin," a voice cried from off to her left and she fell into a fighting stance. Neither pokemon moved. Kirlia stared intensely at the sharp looking Nidorino, who did the same to her. Each of the trainers were silent, allowing their pokemon to do what they felt was the best course of action as well as not revealing their pokemon's attacks. Kirlia could see that the Nidorino was powerful, he stood confident and ready, and he looked quick. Kirlia only stood, allowing her psychic powers to flow from her, trying to sense her surroundings.

They both moved in unison, Nidorino launching himself towards her with surprising speed. Kirlia feigned dodging backwards, what would have been a stupid move had she been planning on committing to it, and she saw the eyes of her opponent light up as he poured on the speed. He was incredibly fast, much faster than Kirlia was expecting but this was just what she wanted.

She stopped moving and put up the psychic barrier inches from the surprised Nidorino while charging a psybeam. He slammed into the translucent purple-blue wall and Kirlia immediately dropped it, releasing her attack. Nidorino recovered from his daze just quickly enough to take the psychic blast full in the face. He was thrown back as Kirlia teleported. She appeared above him, dropping from the sky above him.

He recovered much quicker than she had expected though and spun into an awkward tackle. Surprised she was forced to teleport away to avoid the attack. They had effectively reset, Kirlia stood a distance from him as they both stood still, sizing the other up again. Fire now burned in her opponent's eyes from the last set of attacks.

Kirlia let him make the first move. The Nidorino charged again, its trainer telling him to use poison sting. The fight would end quickly if she allowed herself to be poisoned. Again she charged a psybeam and prepared the throw up a shield. Nidorino anticipated her trick though and began moving erratically, trying to get her to waste her barrier. He saw the shimmer appear and shifted quickly so he'd hit the barrier feet first. Kirlia released it as soon as she saw she wasn't going to catch Nidorino off guard again and released her attack.

While his momentum had been killed by hitting the barrier, he quickly dodged the psybeam and continued on. Kirlia couldn't keep this pace up; it took a lot to throw up those barriers as well as attacking and teleporting around. Nidorino was bearing down on her again, preparing to envenom her with the horn on its head. He was too quick and she was forced to teleport away. She didn't move far, trying to conserve energy. He turned to stare at her but didn't make any move, they were both breathing hard.

She began to charge an attack, psychic energy creating a distorted haze of color around her arm. She stared at the poison type and was surprised by what she saw. Reluctance and uncertainty. She had never thought about how her opponents felt about fighting. She faltered a second, unconsciously letting the attack she was charging dissipate, suddenly feeling hesitant. And that brief moment of hesitation was all the time that Nidorino needed. As soon as she had let her guard down Nidorino's eyes lit up as his trainer called out for a quick attack.

In her shock at her own stupidity Nidorino turned into a blur. She couldn't do anything, he was too close and she took the hit, air being forced from her chest as she slammed into the ground, the weight of her attacker landing atop her. Wes was yelling at her to get up but she only half heard him, head ringing.

"Fury attack!" came a yell and Kirlia felt her body being pummeled by fierce, quick blows. Her vision swam and she could still barely breathe after being winded from the initial attack. She couldn't hear anything but the blows slamming into her flesh and head. Instinctively she let out a blast of psychic energy at where the Nidorino sat atop her. He had plenty of time to jump out of the way though, and Kirlia felt him push off of her. She immediately teleported away.

Kirlia stumbled as she reappeared, trying to breathe through her pain. "End it Nidorino, horn attack!" The shout snapped her back to awareness of her surroundings but it was too late, she looked up just in time to see her opponent slam into her with the final blow. Pain lanced across her chest as Nidorino's horn sliced a gash into her, and she blacked out as she connected with the ground.

The crowd roared as Wes returned Kirlia to her ball and gave a nod to his opponent before walking off the field. The other man smiled as the crowd cheered for him. The winning trainer's Nidorino slowly walking back towards his trainer, finally allowing his exhaustion to show.

Wes kept a tight rein on his fury until he was back inside his own house, away from the others. He released Kirlia. She fell to the ground after rematerializing in a flash of red light. She gasped as pain washed over her, vision blurry. It took her a moment to regain awareness, eyes snapping open and up as she looked at Wes.

She had never seen him so angry, his eyes drilling right through her with pure malevolence. He advanced on her. The room itself seemed to darken. "You... Do you have any idea how much you just fucking lost me?" He practically spat the words at her. "You worthless excuse for a pokemon, I don't even know why I allow you to live."

Kirlia was trying to back away as quickly as her injured body would allow, losing to his steady advance. Tears streaked through the dirt on her face, falling to her chest. "I-I'm sorry..." she tried to stammer out, fear all but crippling her and her telepathic abilities.

"I don't want your worthless excuses! You are nothing to me!" he screamed in reply to her pathetic apology and she felt herself on the edge of the stairs that led down to the basement. His advance stopped with him towering above her, merely a foot away. His foot came up and shoved her backward into the waiting darkness. A collision with the stairs once again stole away her consciousness.

Abra had been sitting back against the wall with his eyes closed, listening to the muted sounds filter in through the walls. He hated it. His only information to what was going on was the roar and other sounds from the crowd as time crawled tauntingly by.

He heard footsteps above and the release of a pokeball. His heart sank and he heard Wes' furious voice shouting above. Abra's breath caught and had to fight the urge to rush upstairs, even though he knew that would only enrage their owner more. Something descended the stairs wildly as the door was slammed from above, and Kirlia's limp form was deposited into the dim basement.

Fear took control of Abra as he teleported to her side. He nearly choked when he looked down at her. Bruises marred her entire body and blood was smeared from a dozen or so cuts and scrapes. The worst was the large gash that ran across stomach and chest that slowly oozed blood.

A tear leaked down his face as he knelt down and gently scooped her up, cradling her against him as he walked away from the stairwell and back towards where he had been waiting before. He let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding as he saw her slow, shallow breathing. She was alive.

Abra returned to his spot, continuing to hold Kirlia close to him, hoping that she'd be ok. The other three psychic types steered clear, if Wes was upset with someone, they wanted nothing to do with it, but Abra was willing to take the chance. He stroked her hair as he anxiously waited for her to wake up.

Kirlia groaned as she yet again struggled back to consciousness. Her entire body hurt but she was warm and felt soft fur all around her.

"Hi Abra," she said smiling weakly up at his concerned face.

"Kirlia you... What happened? Are you ok?" It came out in a rush, his anxiety getting the better of him.

"I'm sorry," Kirlia's mental voice was faint and weak, she placed her head back against his chest. "I'm getting blood on you."

"I don't care, Kirlia, are you... Please tell me you're going to be ok." His concern for her made her happy even though it was probably a miserable feeling for him, his grip on her unconsciously getting tighter.

"I'll be fine, with some rest," she smiled into his chest, wrapping her own arms into his soft fur. She heard his sigh and he relaxed his tight grasp on her to return to stroking her hair. "I guess I broke my promise," she said to Abra solemnly.

"You're here now, that's enough for me." He ran a hand down her back and Kirlia responded by shifting up and burying her face in the soft fur of his neck. Despite the trials of the day, they both smiled, unable to be happier.

Abra's eyes snapped open as Kirlia was torn from his grasp. Kirlia gave a surprised shout as she found herself flung from Abra's embrace and sent rolling across the ground. She looked up, coughing and was filled with dread as she saw Abra stupefied and staring at who had managed to sneak up on them during their reunion.

The look in Absol's eyes mirrored the one Wes had given her as the twisted creature approached, Abra already forgotten. "Well you look quite happy today Kirlia," the beast snarled at her. "Enjoy fucking over our master's plans today?" Kirlia cowered in front of the insane Absol; Wes wouldn't soil his hands punishing her, but Absol... Absol would enjoy it.

Absol walked up until she towered over the trembling Kirlia, bringing one of her massive paws savagely down on her injured stomach. Kirlia let out a whimper and writhed under the furry appendage, struggling to refill her lungs.

"He allows you to live here, feeds you, and what do you do to pay him back for his generosity? Fucking throw a match? What the fuck was that?" Spit flew from Absol's mouth as she punctuated her words with another blow. The wound on her chest and stomach staining the monster's white paw with her blood, and Absol's face was now inches from Kirlia's own.

"And now Wes has put some of the blame on me for not keeping you pathetic creatures in check. No, he is not happy, and I am not happy, and I promise you, I will make you very, very unhappy." Absol was practically foaming at this point, and he was beginning to lose control of the tenuous grasp she held to sanity.

Absol snarled and drove one of her claws into Kirlia's shoulder. Kirlia tried to hold it in but couldn't help the cry of pain escaping her lips, tears blurring her vision. Absol twisted the claw around beneath Kirlia's flesh, dragging more screams from the psychic type. Kirlia plead, begging the large cat to stop in between her sobs, but Absol's eyes had glazed, lost in her lust for suffering.

Abra had been frozen where he sat since Absol had shown up. He had to help Kirlia, but any attack he could throw at Absol would be completely useless against the dark type. His mind raced and Kirlia's shrieks tore at his soul. He felt so useless. He stood up, trying to think of something.

He came up with nothing, and with Kirlia's sobs assaulting his ears, he charged at the Absol. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he couldn't just sit back any longer. He let out a yell as he approached and leapt at Absol.

In her bloodlust, Absol had completely blocked out everything but the Kirlia beneath her, but the yell coming from her side brought her back. She whipped her head towards the sound and Abra's form flew at her, his tiny claws raking into one of her eyes. Absol screamed in a mix of pain and rage as she instinctively swatted Abra into the nearest wall. She quickly followed up by darting to the fallen pokemon and picking it up in her jaws.

Kirlia whimpered as the claw that had been tearing into her was ripped out and the pressure holding her down lifted. Kirlia tried to quickly clear the tears from her eyes and see what would cause Absol to scream like that. And what she saw made her soul freeze.

Abra vainly struggled in the jaws of Absol. The white cat's left eye was tightly shut and bleeding beneath the closed lids. Kirlia could hear Abra gasping, trying to breathe through the jaws tightly crushing his chest. "Abra no!" Kirlia's mind shouted to him. Panic and dread freezing here in place.

"Kirlia, I'm sorry. I tried to help you, but it wasn't enough. Get out of here, run away and live freely. Enjoy life doing whatever you'd like to."  
"Abra don't do this, don't leave me!" Kirlia screamed at him through their telepathic link.

"I'll be with you always," and Abra looked at her, giving her a smile.

"You can't do this! I'll never forgive you!" Kirlia sobbed uncontrollably, tears making her vision blur as she tried to stand, to run to him. Her injuries causing her to falter and stumble back to the ground.

"Goodbye, Kirlia. I love you." A noise Kirlia would remember the rest of her life followed, it was a sickening sound. The metallic smell of blood thickened the air.

Kirlia screamed Abra's name as Absol haphazardly threw the lifeless body to the side, gore matting the fur around the beast's mouth. Absol smiled at the sobs that were now coming from Kirlia and turned her remaining eye to look at her, and was yet again surprised.

Kirlia felt a change come over her. Her mind expanded, and power she had never known of flowed into her in a torrent. She began to float a few inches off the ground. She drew more and more of the energy into her, in a fraction of a second holding more psychic power than she ever had, more power than she had ever imagined. Energy arced from her body as if it were electricity, a blue-purple maelstrom beginning to form around her.

Absol stared as the sight unfolded. Energy stormed around Kirlia, the very fabric of reality being warped. The area around Kirlia became distorted as if it were some kind of chaotic mirage. And Kirlia continued to drink in the power.

Her mind protested, a dull pain beginning to form in her head but she pushed it aside and drew it all in. She had the power to remake the very reality around her. The gentle blue-purple haze that her psychic energy usually manifested as whipped around her, though now it was a vivid, blinding light instead of a gentle glow. She took in more, she wanted all of it, she could do anything. She was invincible. And when she filled herself to breaking with the intoxicating power, she realized that she couldn't control it.

She could feel the others with the tendrils of power created by her expanded mind. Absol staring in awe at Kirlia. The three other psychic types cowering from the two of them, pressed as far back as they could get in the confines of the basement. Wes with Zoroark heading towards the basement to see what the commotion was about. A few of Wes' other pokemon who were kept close to the house. A wordless, bestial scream tore itself from Kirlia's throat as she lost control of the intense psychic energy she had briefly contained and focused.

The energy exploded around her and she felt them die. The mental connections to them severed as there was nothing left to connect with, their very essence scrubbed from the world. The psychic types in the corner, the pokemon above, Wes, each of their minds were destroyed instantly by the incredible psychic energy. Even Absol flinched as the blast washed over her.

Her tears stopped but Kirlia's eyes were wide with shock. Bile rose in her stomach at the sheer horror that filled her. She had no idea what had just happened, other than she had just killed everything nearby. With that added atop it all, it was too much for her mind to handle. Kirlia's mind shut down, reverting to a primal state. With Wes' death she was released from the bond to her pokeball, and she disappeared with the telltale ripple of teleport.

Kirlia teleported away from the place she had been kept by Wes, her body moving on autopilot. With the wound Absol had given her shoulder on top of her previous injuries, she was losing blood quickly. That, added the physical and mental exhaustion, she didn't get far. Barely conscious, she had gone as far as her tortured body would allow. After one final leap, Kirlia collapsed to the ground.


	2. Found

"Thanks, have a good day," Rob waved to the retreating customer whose order he had just rang up. The man waved back as he exited the pokemart.

"So, this is your last day huh?" The female voice came from behind him as Rob turned to see his co-worker stepping behind the counter.

"Yup. Think Mel, one more day, I'll cash in on that employee discount and then off to see the world." Rob gestured grandly, raising his arms in a valiant pose. The girl just rolled her eyes as she began her morning routine. Rob didn't mind working at the pokemart, and since trainers under eighteen weren't allowed to wander the road without an older trainer, decided to spend his time saving money and wait until hiss eighteenth birthday.

There were other perks of working there too. Trainers would often chat for a few minutes while they were shopping. He'd get to hear stories of their travels, exotic pokemon they'd seen or just tips on being a trainer in general. A few even showed off their pokemon to him. He enjoyed hearing about it, but now the long awaited date was just a few days off, he could hardly contain himself.

Earlier in the week he had even called ahead to the gym and they had his starter pokemon all ready to be picked up. Before he left today he would stock up on supplies with his employee discount and then spend tomorrow getting ready. The day after that he'd be out on the road, living the life of a trainer. He smiled to himself as he manned the cash register. A snapping noise bringing him back to the present.

"Hey you're not out of here yet," Mel chided waving a hand in front of him.

"Sorry, what did you want?"

"I only have one more day of slave driving before I'm stuck doing this crap by myself, and you bet I'm going to make the most of it."

"So you _will_ miss me," Rob taunted back at her as he walked around the counter to help, marking it a victory in his mind.

It was a slow day, Azalea town wasn't that large and despite having a gym, it was generally pretty quiet. After helping Mel with her work he took the afternoon lul to buy himself some of the items he'd be needing on his travels. He got pokeballs, potions, food and a few other things he thought might come in handy out in the wilderness.

He could feel his excitement building and when his watch read three, he couldn't take it any longer. "Hey Mel, I think I'm just going to save you the heartache and get out of here early," He called out to his friend and co-worker.

"No way I'm letting you off easy, you aren't going anywhere until this place closes."

"Feel free to fire me then, I won't even make a scene or trash my office," he joked as he grabbed the items purchased earlier and headed towards the exit. Mel met him at the door.

"It's been good," Mel said, pulling Rob into a hug. "Try not to get yourself killed, and keep in touch."

"Oh, I'll be fine, I'm sure you'll be seeing me plenty in the headlines in the coming months. 'Hero from Azalea town awes the world." Rob said, pulling away from the hug and gesturing an imaginary headline.

"I'll be much less shocked finding your name under 'Idiot lost in the woods found'." But she smiled at him as she said it. "Good luck."

With his goodbyes done with, Rob turned and headed out of the pokemart and towards Azalea gym. It was a fairly short walk and in his excitement Rob maintained a brisk pace. After a few minutes he found himself outside the large gym and practically threw the doors open.

"Hi can I help you?" the lady at the receptionist's desk asked.

"Ya my name is Rob and I was told my starter pokemon would be ready to pick up today."

"Oh sure thing, Bugsy should be free right now, go on in and he'll be able to get you all set up," she smiled and waved him through to the large doors leading to the gym's arena. It was an interesting gym, filled with trees and bushes, it looked more like the middle of a forest than a gym arena.

"Hello?" Rob called out to the seemingly uninhabited vegetation.

"Ah, you must be Rob," a man said, standing up from the bottom of a tree off to Rob's left. A large Scyther was lazing next to where the man had been sitting. "A little earlier than you had indicated but no worries." The man smiled and extended his hand.

"Oh ya, I got out of work early and couldn't wait," Rob grinned, shaking the gym leader's hand.

"Well then I won't make you wait any longer. If you would just follow me I can get you out of here with your new pokemon in just a few minutes." Rob followed as Bugsy lead him into an office like room off to the side from the arena section of the gym. Bugsy rounded the desk and grabbed a few papers from it. "So, you said it was a Cyndaquil you wanted then right?" Rob nodding assent.

Bugsy pulled out a pokeball from one of the desk drawers and placed in on a small device. "I'll just need to see your trainer ID real quick." Rob quickly pulled out his card and handed it to the man, his eagerness to finally get his own pokemon barely contained. Bugsy swiped Rob's ID through the same device that the pokeball now occupied, and with a soft click, handed both to Rob. "And that's it, everything is all set, he's all yours." Bugsy grinned at the beaming expression on Rob's face.

"Thanks a ton, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for this," Rob smiled, again shaking the Bugsy's hand.

"I guess I'll be seeing you again in the future then," Bugsy called out with a smile as Rob left the gym.

"You bet!" It was all Rob could do to stop himself from running home, an idiotic grin plastered across his face.

It took him just under twenty minutes to get home from town and he quickly unlocked the door and went in. His parents weren't home yet, and likely wouldn't be for a few hours. Technically speaking he shouldn't be leaving work for another couple hours. He smiled at that as he put the items he bought from the pokemart on the counter and pulled out the pokeball Bugsy had given him.

The kitchen was too small to make some fancy, flourishing throw so he simply hit the activator button and let his new pokemon out into the kitchen. He'd make up for the less than spectacular release later when he was outside.

"Cyndaquil!" the fire pokemon greeted him happily, running up to his new trainer. Rob beamed and sat down on the floor to greet his new companion.

"Hey there little guy," Rob said smiling at the fire mouse pokemon. Cyndaquil made a happy chirping noise and jumped into Rob's lap. Rob stroked the small creature, illiciting another chirp as he tried to rub its head against Rob's palm. "So can you breathe fire yet?" Rob questioned, looking down at Cyndaquil.

With a confident "Quil" Cyndaquil leapt back off of Rob and let out a tiny cloud of smoke and steam from his mouth. Rob laughed at the cute display.

"Almost had it there," he said affectionately as he returned the pokemon to his lap. Cyndaquil crawled up and nuzzled his chest as Rob returned to stroking its head. Rob's good mood couldn't have been tarnished had the entire house collapsed around them. He had his very own pokemon, and together they'd be starting out for adventure in under three days now.

Rob got up and began transferring the things he bought to his room, Cyndaquil following close behind him. Throwing his things onto his desk, Rob let himself fall to his bed, Cyndaquil not even hesitating before jumping up and making himself comfortable as he curled up on Rob's chest.

"You're an affectionate one," Rob commented, letting the heat radiating from the small fire type relax him. Cyndaquil just cooed happily. Rob still felt giddy laying there on the bed with his pokemon. He had been waiting to begin his trainer career ever since he could remember, and now it seemed like he was just moments away.

He almost up and left right then, though getting caught by the league only 3 days before his birthday would be a dumb reason to lose his trainer license. And Mel would have a field day with that, the humiliation would kill him.

"I'm starving, how about you?" Rob asked, ruffling the fire pokemon's fur.

"Quil!" Cyndaquil chirped, hopping to the floor as Rob pulled himself off the bed. The two made their way back to the kitchen and Rob began preparing a couple sandwiches for himself. When he was done he filled a bowl with a little of the pokemon food he had bought from work and lead Cyndaquil out onto the back porch.

Figuring Cyndaquil would rather be outside than in the kitchen he stepped out onto the grass and sat down, placing the bowl for his pokemon on the ground next to him. Cyndaquil rubbed his head against Rob's leg in thanks before moving to eat his lunch. Rob smiled at the gesture before beginning his own meal.

It didn't take long for Cyndaquil to finish and he then set off to explore the back yard. Rob continued eating as he watched the curious pokemon wander around, investigating the area. Cyndaquil made his rounds quickly however and soon he was bounding back, Rob ruffling the fur on his head as he shoved the last of the sandwich into his mouth.

Small clouds of smoke and steam rose above Cyndaquil, who had started trying to breath fire again, as Rob heard his parents arriving home. Cyndaquil stopped his attempts at the sound of the car pulling into the driveway and looked up at Rob.

"My parents are getting back from work," Rob explained. "C'mon, let's go introduce you to them." Getting up from the grass, Rob returned to the house with Cyndaquil right behind him.

"We're home," rang his mom's familiar voice as she and Rob's father walked into the kitchen.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad..." Rob began his greeting but was quickly interrupted.

"Oh isn't he just adorable," his mom gushed, quickly kneeling down to scratch under his Cyndaquil's chin.

"Hahah, congratulations Rob, your first pokemon," his father said giving him a pat on the back and looking down at the fire type. Cyndaquil were generally known as being timid but his pokemon seemed to enjoy himself immensely at all the attention he was getting.

He talked with his parents for a while longer, his dad asking if he'd finalized his plans for leaving, his mother trying to convince him to stay just a little longer, and Cyndaquil going around looking for a pat on the head from all of them.

Cyndaquil was back in Rob's lap as he sat with his father at the kitchen table, Mom preparing a light dinner. "So, do you know where you'll be heading off to first?" his father questioned.

"I'm thinking I'll head to Violet City first. I can train Cyndaquil along the way, and hopefully catch another pokemon at some point on the journey there. That way I should be more than a match for Violet Gym before I head back this way."

"That means we'll get to see you again on your way back through town," his mother said happily, placing a plate in front of him. "And this is for you" she smiled to Cyndaquil who quickly hopped to the floor where Rob's mother placed a small dish for him.

They all talked for a while longer before getting up to do dishes and head off to bed. Rob walked with Cyndaquil back to his room and got into bed. Cyndaquil jumped up after him and snuggled against Rob. Sighing at the heat from his fire pokemon, he was going to say something to Cyndaquil but before he realized it, he was fast asleep.

Rob woke early the next day feeling completely refreshed. He woke Cyndaquil by picking him up and putting him on his chest as he stroked the fire mouse's fur, Cyndaquil chirping happily. After a few more minutes in bed, he began preparing for the day. After washing up a bit and getting the two of them breakfast, Rob brought Cyndaquil out to the back yard again.

Cyndaquil's energetic mood from yesterday seemed to remain and he ran around for a bit as Rob took one of the chairs and watched him. The little fire type also tried his fire attacks again and while still mostly unsuccessful, Rob noticed a few sparks mixed in with the smoke now. His pokemon looked pleased none the less and Rob picked him up in a hug laughing and giving a few words of encouragement.

They spent the rest of the morning outside and by the time the afternoon came around, they were worn out and resting in the soft grass of the lawn. A sharp crack brought the both of them to attention. Rob sat up looking for what had caused the noise and Cyndaquil jumped to his feet, quickly scanning the area. Rob was searching the treeline when a growl from Cyndaquil caught his attention.

"What is it?" Rob asked and then he noticed the small white and green form now lying in the middle of the yard. Having seemingly appeared out of thin air, he got up and went to investigate. "A Kirlia?" Rob asked, voicing his confusion out loud. Cyndaquil growled at it but it hadn't moved since its sudden appearance. _Why would a Kirlia be here?_ Rob thought to himself. If it was captured then where was its trainer. And a wild Kirlia, that would be quite the oddity in itself.

He knelt down and gently went to turn the small creature over but pulled his hand away quickly. He had grabbed its shoulder and realized quickly why it wasn't moving. Blood coated his fingers and Rob quickly began to worry. Steeling himself he bent down closer to check if it was even alive.

The pokemon's back rose and fell the slightest bit, indicating it was still breathing but the situation was still grim, and with how much blood he had gotten on him from just a quick touch...

Rob's mind raced as he tried to figure out what to do, and Cyndaquil was looking up at him with a questioning expression. A pokemon center would be able to help, but he couldn't just pick up a wild pokemon and bring it there. His only other option would be to capture it but... Rob didn't want his first capture to be on an already injured pokemon who wasn't even given the chance to object. If he didn't capture it though, he was sure it wouldn't last long.

Making up his mind, "Cyndaquil, stay here and watch the Kirlia, I'll be right back." Cyndaquil made a confused noise but Rob was already running for the house. He dashed to his room and quickly grabbed one of the pokeballs from the things he had purchased for his travels.

Rob hadn't been gone longer than a minute before he was making his way back to the two pokemon, one of the red and white spheres in his hand. Rob knelt back down next to the injured pokemon. "I'm sorry" he whispered and gently pressed the pokeball to the top of Kirlia's head. With a red flash of light the pokeball burst open and sucked Kirlia into it, falling to the bloodied grass. The pokeball didn't so much as twitch as it clicked, signaling the capture had been successful.

Rob picked up the ball slowly. There was no rush now, the pokeball was set to keep Kirlia in stasis, so she wouldn't get worse unless it ran out of power. Sighing, he sat back down and noted the emerald blood which blended in with the grass, it didn't look good. Cyndaquil nudged his leg and he gave him a pat on the head with his free hand.

"Well, you up for stroll Cyndaquil?" Rob asked his companion, his voice sounding more tired now as he got back to his feet.

"Quil!" The enthusiastic fire type replied, clearly not picking up on his trainer's mood or the severity of the Kirlia's condition. They walked back inside for a moment so Rob could wash some of the blood off his hand and the pokeball. After that he locked up the house and headed towards the town pokemon center. It wasn't that long of a walk but neither was Rob in a hurry, his mind still questioning whether he had made the right decision.

Pokemon who were truly adamant about not being captured would sometimes fight to their death to remain free. It was very rare, but what if that was what Kirlia had done and was unlucky enough to be found by him. And had the Kirlia not fallen already injured into his back yard, there was no way Cyndaquil could have bested her in a battle, it just felt wrong. Maybe the sentiment of most likely having saved her life would make the pokemon forgive him.

Though Rob was lost in his thoughts, Cyndaquil was having quite a good time seeing the sights as he walked through town. The excitable pokemon watching his surroundings with great interest. Cars speeding past them, buildings with lots of people in them, even a few other pokemon following their trainers around. Cyndaquil chirped happily to his trainer and frowned when he got no response but quickly dismissed his trainer's inattentiveness as something new caught his eye.

They continued through town until they reached the iconic white and red building with a pokeball cresting the entrance. As with Azalea Town's pokemart, the place was rarely busy and when they entered, only two other trainers occupied the spacious lobby. Rob walked up to the counter with Cyndaquil now quietly at his feet.

"How may I help you?" a smiling Nurse Joy greeted them.

"Hi," Rob greeted back. "This might sound a bit weird but I think I just had a Kirlia teleport into my back yard. As soon as it did though it collapsed and when I went to check on it, well it looked pretty badly injured." Rob paused a moment before continuing. "I didn't know what to do so I captured it so I could bring it here."

"It just fainted in your yard?" the nurse asked but her smile didn't waver. "That is odd, well I'll see what I can do for the poor thing. Do you happen to know anything about it?"

"No, I didn't even see it fall, just heard a crack and then found it face down on the grass. I went to move it but there was blood and..." He let his words trail off, not wanting to think about how close the little creature looked to death. He took the pokeball out of his coat pocket and handed it to the nurse.

"Well I promise you we'll do everything we can. Don't worry about it, I'm sure everything will be just fine." Rob knew that she was just trying to be optimistic for his sake but in fact did feel a little better all the same. He watched as Nurse Joy brought the pokeball into one of the back rooms and disappeared behind the double doors.

Rob took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs that lined the pokemon center's lobby and began to wait, Cyndaquil barely waiting for Rob to seat himself before jumping into his lap. Cyndaquil tried to make what he thought would be a soothing noise for his trainer and whether it was or not, he chirped happily at the smile it brought to Rob's face.

"I'm sorry Cyndaquil but you're just too damn cute," Rob said, ruffling the hair on the top of the fire type's head. Cyndaquil pushed his head into Rob's palm.

Time passed slowly as the two waited for news on the injured Kirlia. Soon after Nurse Joy had left with the pokeball a chansey had come out to occupy the front desk but no one else appeared from the interior of the pokecenter. Rob was running his hand over Cyndaquil's head absentmindedly as he wondered if he should go and ask when the doors leading into the pokecenter exploded outward into the lobby.

The noise made Rob jump to his feet, Cyndaquil reacting just as quickly and landing himself between Rob and the source of the commotion Rob was expecting smoke from the aftermath of an explosion or a gigantic pokemon to be behind the damage but his eyes widened at the actual cause.

"Kirlia?" Rob's voice held the shock he had been feeling as the small green and white pokemon staggered into the lobby. Rob quickly fumbled for the pokeball instinctively but he didn't have it. He took a step forward but froze as the Kirlia noticed his movement and was quickly surrounded by the blue and purple glow of psychic energy. Cyndaquil growled at it but there was nothing he could do to stop the other pokemon.

Kirlia stumbled again, barely catching itself against the wall and this time Rob noticed the bandages that wrapped her shoulder and torso. He also noticed the faint green hue that was starting to show through them, the pokemon's reckless actions obviously agitating the wounds again.

The doors behind the ones that now hung loosely from their hinges were flung open and before Kirlia had the chance to turn, Nurse Joy appeared with a pokeball and quickly returned Kirlia to the sphere. Rob ran over to the panting nurse.

"Are you OK? What happened?" Rob blurted out as he rushed to make sure she was alright.

"And you say you just found her in your back yard? You're sure?" the nurse panted, using a hand to brace herself against the wall as she caught her breath.

"I, ya, why what happened?"

"That is one hell of a pokemon, that's what happened. She is most definitely not a wild pokemon. She was unconscious when I released her and pretty roughed up, although it wasn't anything too life threatening, it looked a lot worse than it really was. I think she passed out more from exhaustion than anything else." Nurse Joy began explaining in between catching her breath. "I did give her a tranquilizer though, as sometimes newly captured pokemon freak out a little when they wake up being restrained and injured with strangers around them after being caught."

"Like what just happened?"

"Exactly, but somehow that little pokemon managed to wake up despite the stuff I gave her while I was dressing her wounds and, well, freaked out."

"I'm really sorry, I had no idea something like this would happen," Rob began but the nurse waved it off.

"Don't worry, you seem like a new trainer, but stuff like this happens every now and again here, keeps the job interesting." she joked, trying to raise his spirits. "And no one got hurt, just our exam room got a little tossed about and this broken door."

"I tell you one thing though," the ruffled nurse said looking at him a little more seriously now. "That pokemon you got yourself is quite the catch. I don't think I've ever seen a Kirlia so young with so much power, she has incredible potential. They're loyal pokemon but you're going to have to be careful with her, I hope you're up to it."

"So she'll be alright then?" Rob asked looking a little more cheerful now. Nurse Joy laughed at that.

"Did you not just see her tear through the pokecenter? She'll be fine. I'm going to go finish bandaging up her wounds and after a little rest she'll be as good as new." And with that the nurse went back into the pokecenter, leaving Rob to go back to waiting with Cyndaquil.

Once Rob was back in his seat, Cyndaquil nudging his palm, he began mulling over what Nurse Joy had told him. He also wondered what could have happened to the poor thing that would spook it enough to try and forcefully escape from the people who were trying to help, especially if she hadn't been wild, she should be used to humans and pokemon centers no?

Cyndaquil was quietly napping in Rob's lap when Nurse Joy finally reemerged from the pokecenter's interior. She was carrying a pokeball and a broad smile on her face.

"Well she's all set to go," Nurse Joy said and handed him the pokeball. Rob shrunk it before placing it in his pocket.

"Is there anything I need to do or should know about?"

"Not really, she should be fine in a day or so, the bandages can come off sometime tomorrow and she'll just be sore for a few days, pokemon have much better natural healing powers than we do. I also gave her a pretty strong dose of sedatives though, so she'll be asleep when you let her out. She'll also most likely be a little groggy for a bit when she does wake, the effects will be completely gone in a few hours."

"Did she cause any other problems?" Rob inquired at the sedatives.

"No we put her out again and this time she slept through, they drugs were mostly so that she doesn't wake up too quickly in an unfamiliar place again, whatever happened before she showed up at your place must have gave her quite the scare for such a reaction."

"Thanks Nurse Joy, I really appreciate everything," Rob said smiling and shook her hand. Cyndaquil had waken up during the conversation and hopped off Rob, allowing him to stand.

"Oh it was my pleasure, I hope everything turns out for the best," she smiled and returned to her post.

Rob and Cyndaquil left the pokecenter and were headed back home when Rob's stomach reminded him they he hadn't had lunch yet. "Hey Cyndaquil, how about we stop somewhere and grab something to eat?" At the pokemon's eager chirp he began to hunt down a place to eat.

Fifteen minutes later found the two sitting at an outside table with a hefty lunch before them. "Dig in," Rob said to his ravenous Cyndaquil and the pokemon needed no further encouragement. The two ate their meal quickly if for no other reason than how hungry they had been, they day's excitement masking it until now.

Rob and Cyndaquil sighed in unison, their hunger sated. Rob was getting up when Cyndaquil hiccuped, shooting out a small jet of sparks to both of their surprise. "Maybe all you needed was a good meal huh," Rob said laughing and rubbing the pokemon's head.

"Quil!" The two continued their short trek home with most of the afternoon already gone. Rob entered the house and sat down at the kitchen table, thinking on his next course of action.

"Hey Cindaquil, do you mind taking a rest in your pokeball for a little while? I know it's not ideal but I'd rather avoid another incident when Kirlia wakes up." Cyndaquil was not overly enthused at the idea but after a little more convincing he acquiesced and allowed Rob to return him.

It was a strange feeling being alone now, he hadn't put Cyndaquil back in his ball since having gotten him home. Sighing he walked outside. He decided the best place to have Kirlia wake would be against the large oak tree that stood near the treeline in his back yard. Kirlia were said to enjoy the sun and nature so it seemed like his best bet. When he got to the tree however he hesitated.

Pokemon had never really made Rob nervous before, but now that he had seen the power the small pokemon held and how she'd reacted the first time after being released. None of the pokeball's features strictly prevented a captured pokemon from harming its trainer and if the Kirlia wanted freedom badly enough, killing him would be the quickest solution. But seeing as he had no other recourse, he hit the activator and watch the pokemon he had saved reappear in a red flash.

She slept peacefully where she had been laid out by the pokeball. Rob scooped up Kirlia gently and placed her sitting with her back against the large trunk of the oak. Her breathing was steady and her wound expertly bound. After making her as comfortable as he could, Rob moved away and began to wait a small way off as to not startle her when she awoke.

Kirlia's mind swam as she woke slowly. A gentle breeze tickled her skin as the sun overhead beamed down onto her skin. She smiled at the feeling but was confused. How had she gotten here, was she dead? She opened her eyes lazily to be greeted by a beautiful day. She reveled in the feel of the tree bark she rested against and the soft grass beneath her. She should find Abra, he'd like it here.

Images flashed in her mind suddenly. A human in all white hovering over her, tying her up with white strips of cloth, a different human with a Cyndaquil in front of him, a stricken expression on his face, doors blasting open... She groggily moved her arm and felt that it was hindered. Strips of cloth like in her vision wrapped her. It was hard to think, something was interfering with her mind, she shouldn't feel like this, and those visions, where had they come from? Something wasn't right.

And then memory crashed into her like a wave. Tears immediately sprung up in her eyes. The sound of Abra's body being crushed echoed in her ears. The smell of his blood, his smiling face. "I love you." Those were the last words he'd ever say to her, and she had done nothing to help him. He had saved her and she had done nothing.

Kirlia wept softly, bringing her knees up and crying into them. She didn't care where she was or how she got there anymore.

"Kirlia?" The concerned voice snapped the psychic pokemon out of it for a moment, her instincts taking over. Kirlia's head snapped up, staring at the human that was slowly approaching. Her free arm coming up, she tried to charge a psychic attack but with her mind still muddled she managed nothing beside a few blue-purple motes that quickly dissipated. Even in her hazy state, she could now feel the fear building inside of her. She was hurt, something was making her dizzy and she had no way to defend herself.

She tried to curl up further and make herself appear smaller while still keeping an eye on the human. He stopped when he saw the sad display and sat down where he was. Tears still leaked from her eyes as she sized the human up.

"What did you do to me?" Kirlia said to him. At least she tried to, the words sounded slurred even in her mind and she had no idea if any of them reached the human's mind. The though was reinforced by the confused look that he gave her. She tried to stand but this just made her even more dizzy and she stumbled backwards. The human rose, concern back on his face and he was reaching for her.

"NO! STAY AWAY!" she tried to scream at him through her mind but again she felt like it wasn't getting through. She tried backing away again but tripped and fell flat on her back. Kirlia's tears redoubled at how useless she was and the figure that now loomed above her. The man's arms descended and suddenly she found herself in a warm embrace, the human gently pulling her close to his chest. She tried to struggle but quickly gave up and sobbed into him.

Rob felt terrible for the small pokemon he now cradled. Shortly after he had picked her up she had cried herself back to sleep in his arms. He didn't know what to do for her and he just held her sleeping form for a while longer, his shirt damp from her tears.

After a few minutes he got up and carried the Kirlia inside. He brought her to his room and laid her down in his bed. After tucking her in under his blanket he closed the door and returned to the kitchen. He sighed as he slumped down in one of the kitchen tables and released Cyndaquil from his ball.

Cyndaquil didn't like seeing his trainer in such a black mood, and it was the Kirlia's fault he was like this. He hopped up into Rob's lap and increased his body heat to warm his trainer up. Rob put and arm on the table before resting his head against it and looking down at Cyndaquil. "What am I going to do?" Rob asked rhetorically as he began to stroke Cyndaquil's fur. Cyndaquil cooed at his touch and Rob couldn't help giving the pokemon a small smile.

It was getting late already and his parents would be home any minute. He and Cyndaquil hadn't moved much since they sat down, the usually energetic pokemon merely sat with him to keep him company as he got lost in his thoughts. Rob was still unsure whether he should even tell his parents about his new pokemon but he couldn't see a way of keeping it hidden from them.

Rob's time for being left alone to his thoughts soon ended though as he heard the arrival of his parents' car, which was quickly followed by their entrance to the house.

"Hello my soon to be trainer and my favorite pokemon," Rob's mother's voice called. Rob picked his head off the table and returned the greeting as Cyndaquil echoed his trainer's sentiments with a merry "Quil!".

"What's the matter?" she said as Rob's father entered the kitchen moments later carrying a pair of pizza boxes. So much for having the option of hiding Kirlia, Rob guessed that he must have sounded more tired than he thought.

"Well I caught my first pokemon today, sort of."

"That's my boy," Rob's father said with a laugh. "Haven't even left the house yet and already catching pokemon." His mother didn't seem to share in his enthusiasm however.

"I hope you weren't sneaking off onto route 33 yet," she chided. "You still aren't eighteen for another day".

"I wasn't, a Kirlia showed up in the back yard though while Cyndaquil and I were outside."

"A Kirlia eh, don't take this personally little guy, but I have a hard time seeing you besting a psychic type that strong just yet," his father said to Cyndaquil who had ran over to him to examine the food he now carried. At his words though Cyndaquil gave a comical huff and crossed his arms. He only managed to look adorable however and gave a happy chirp as Rob's father patted him on the head.

"She showed up pretty injured and I captured her so I can get her to the pokemon center. I think something must have happened to her, she caused quite a stir for Nurse Joy and didn't seem to happy when I got her home." Rob trailed off, quickly becoming caught up in the internal deliberation he had been in before his parents got home.

"Well I'm sure once she gets to know you everything will turn out all right, just look how quickly Cyndaquil got attached to you. Where is she now anyway, you keeping her in her ball?" His mom tried to sound reassuring but her words rang just as hollow as his own thoughts to him.

"No, she's asleep in my bed," Rob said absently as he continued to think. The pizza was eventually set out and they all gathered at the kitchen table. Cyndaquil tore into the slice his mother had given him and Rob had grabbed his own. His half of the conversations were subdued the rest of the meal, his mind constantly dragging him back to what he was going to do about the Kirlia.

After a while his parent headed off to bed while he remained with Cyndaquil in the kitchen. Rob decided to sleep out in the living room for the night and not disturb Kirlia. He did however remember that the small pokemon hadn't eaten anything since she showed up in the back yard. He placed one of the left over slices of pizza on a plate and filled a bowl with some of the pokemon food he had. Rob had no idea what the pokemon liked so he figured she'd find at least one of the two palatable until he could ask her in the morning.

He walked quietly to his room and gently opened the door. The moonlight that shone in through the window illuminated the small bump in his comforter that indicated Kirlia was still there. He entered slowly and softly placed the food on his nightstand next to the bed before silently withdrawing.

On his way back to the living room he grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and Cyndaquil from the kitchen. He threw the blanket down on the longer of the couches and laid down. Cyndaquil jumped up and took his spot curled up against Rob's chest. He began thinking about how he didn't finish packing or get ready for his departure tomorrow but fatigue finally caught up with him and he was soon asleep.

It was warm and soft when she woke up again. Like being back in Abra's caring embrace, her eyes opened slowly, expecting him to be smiling back at her. Her eyes opened, and she was alone, a thick warm blanket wrapped around her and her sorrow. What ever that human had done to her that made her so confused earlier had apparently worn off, though she was still uncertain about exact events or how she had gotten there.

Kirlia shifted, grabbing a section of the blankets and hugging them to her. She wanted to cry but the tears wouldn't come. She felt empty. Everything had been taken from her. Abra was her only friend, the only one who had ever treated her kindly. He had sacrificed himself for her freedom, and she had used that sacrifice to get herself captured mere hours later. She was useless. Abra should have lived, not her.

Kirlia shook underneath the warm blanket, her head a miasma of pain, confusion, hopelessness. She wanted to vomit, to scream, to sob until the world ended and she could see Abra again. Her body was frozen though, allowing her to do nothing but tremble in the dishonest warmth and comfort of the bed.

Moonlight shone peacefully into the room as Kirlia tried to make sense of any of the events during the past day. Everything after arriving wherever she now was a complete haze. Whatever the human had done to her made what few memories she did have fragmented and hazy. And then back at Wes', where Abra had been killed. Where she had killed. She was just as much a monster as Absol. More perhaps, she had slaughtered all of them in an instant. The other psychics, Wes, the other pokemon outside she didn't know, but she had felt her incredible power destroy their minds just as she had felt the others.

Maybe the humans would come find her after what she had done, come and put her down like the rabid beast she was. Her stomach twisted at the thought. The feeling making her sick enough to almost block out the fact she hadn't eaten since the morning. With that thought Kirlia was brought back to the present and her current situation.

Even with the moonlight coming in through the window, the room was too dark to make out much of anything. What she could make out seemed like one of the rooms in Wes' house, not one of the ones he would keep pokemon in though. Why was she here? Was this where the human who caught her slept, and if so, why had he put her here and where was he?

None of it made any sense. Kirlia should be in a pokeball like trainers generally kept their pokemon, or otherwise held where she couldn't escape or interfere. Or what if he was trying to use her. Wes had been kind to her when he had first won her as a Ralts. He wanted the power she supposedly had, to see into the future and extract the secrets from the minds of those around him. She had seen the hatred that burned behind the false compassion though. He held a tight reign on his emotions, but she could see the fire that burned any time he looked at her. She had been unable to hide her fear of him, and when he found out that she knew...

No, she had to focus on the present. Her past was too painful and her future too uncertain to bear thinking about right now. Kirlia let her stomach's protests try and distract her, even if only for a short time. She had no idea where food would be. Wes would always have on of his pokemon bring it down to the basement prisoners and she didn't even know where humans got their food from.

She glanced around the room and noticed two dishes sitting on a small table next to the bed. Thinking it was too convenient, she moved over to inspect them. The bowl contained what looked like the same thing Wes had fed them her entire life, the plate on the other hand contained something she had never seen before. Kirlia wasn't quite sure that it was meant to be eaten but presented as it was she couldn't imagine it would be anything other than food. She leaned in closer to sniff at the peculiar offering.

It smelled nothing like the food Wes had fed her. The human could be trying to poison her, or feed her something that would fog her mind again, but with her being out of it since being found he had plenty of opportunities earlier, why would he bother trying to poison her this way. And if he wanted her dead, he wouldn't have bothered going through the trouble of getting her wounds healed.

Kirlia glanced down at the bandages. Her shoulder and stomach still hurt a bit but pokemon tended to heal very quickly. It took a lot of energy though, and she needed to eat so she could heal herself. With that Kirlia threw any doubts out of her mind and bit into the strange food. It was incredible. Kirlia had never imagined food could taste so wonderful, the sensation momentarily taking her away from the terrible events of the past day and letting her enjoy the moment.

She quickly devoured the flavorful morsel and was disappointed when it was finished. Kirlia's face bore the faint trace of a smile as she laid back onto the bed before catching herself. Anger flaring up at her own incompetence. She was letting the human get to her already, letting him bait her so he could use her for his own purposes and then turn around and torment her. She wouldn't let it happen again. She had to stop being so weak.

With her hunger abated, Kirlia had no desire to remain awake with nothing but her dark thoughts for company. She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and sank back into the bed. At least maybe in sleep she would see Abra again, and dream or not, maybe she could feel like someone was there for her. Maybe just briefly she wouldn't be all alone.

It was amazing what a nights sleep could do. Rob sat up on the couch and ruffled the fur of the pokemon protesting tiredly at being woken up so early.

"Morning dear, happy birthday," he heard his mom call from the kitchen, the sounds of breakfast being prepared making a pleasant sizzle in the background. "Though what are you doing sleeping on the couch?" she questioned as he entered the kitchen, Cyndaquil lazily dragging himself along behind him.

"Kirlia was sleeping in my bed and I didn't want to disturb her. She's been through a lot it seems and she deserved a rest." He didn't mention that he also didn't want her to go on a rampage and destroy the house, but the concern was trumped by that of her well being.

"So are you just going to keep all of your pokemon out of their balls all the time?"

"If they want to be I don't see why not, at least as much as I can." Some might call him soft hearted but even with the short time he'd spent with with Cyndaquil he already felt as close to him as he had with any of his human friends, if not more so. And he barely knew anything about Kirlia but he was still worried about her, it felt like he should do everything he could for her.

"So am I going to get to meet your mysterious friend before you head off?" Rob's mom asked as she set a plate of breakfast down in front of him and bowl near his feet where Cyndaquil decided to curl up and go back to sleep. At the prospect of food however, he quickly changed his outlook and began to chow down.

"Maybe," Rob said slowly. To be completely honest with himself he had no idea how Kirlia would even react to him, let alone his parents, she seemed skittish at best around humans. As soon as he finished breakfast he'd go and see if she was awake and take it from there. He ate slowly and enjoyed the last home cooked meal he'd have for a while, not overly eager to confront his new pokemon. Cyndaquil had no such reservations though and quickly finished his own meal.

After Rob finished his meal and thanked his mother he got Cyndaquil to hang out in the living room, curled up on the couch, as he made his way toward his bedroom. He knocked softly on the door before he went in. Kirlia was sitting on a corner of the bed with her back to him. Her knees were pulled to her chest and she had her arms wrapped around them; she was looking out through the window and gave no acknowledgment to his presence.

"Kirlia?" He called out to her gently, trying not to startle her but he had the feeling she knew he was there. He took another step into the room and she slowly turned to face him, and Rob found himself frozen by her stare. Kirlia's crimson eyes gazed directly into his soul. He felt naked before her and wouldn't have been unable to break her gaze had his life depended on it. Kirlia didn't say anything but he could almost feel her emotions through the intensity of her eyes. After a moment she spoke.

"Why? What did you do to me?" Her words didn't even sound like questions as she turned back to the window and hugged her knees to her chest again. The voice that had spoke in his mind held a sorrow and hopelessness that chilled him. What the hell had happened to the poor thing? Rob started breathing again, not realizing he had stopped since he had locked eyes with Kirlia.

"I, you kind of just appeared next to me. You were hurt and I couldn't take you to the pokecenter unless you were captured and I thought you were going to die..." The words seeming to rush out from him. "I'm sorry for capturing you like I did, but I panicked and couldn't think of anything else to do. I truly am sorry." He sounded sincere, he was good, better than Wes had been. Kirlia wouldn't trust him, couldn't trust him, he was a human.

"I'm Rob by the way." Rob said breaking the silence as Kirlia hadn't responded to him. "And uh, I was planning on leaving today if you're feeling up to it. But if you're still hurt I could wait a day or two, it wouldn't be that big of a deal."

"You could just put me in that ball if I was too injured anyway, I can travel." The voice was cold, an audible chill through his mind.

"Well, I'll come get you when I'm about to leave then," and with that Rob exited the room. He let out a sigh as soon as the door was closed behind him and leaned against it for a second. He had no idea how to handle a pokemon like this, he had barely gotten his first pokemon a few days ago. He had gone through the pokemon academy but they had never taught how to deal with anything like this.

Rob took a step back towards the living room when he realized what having Kirlia with him meant. He just had a complete conversation with her like talking to another human. He had stopped dead in his tracks. He could understand her completely, and if she could understand his other pokemon he could talk with them as well.

Excited by the revelation he smiled, he'd have to get Kirlia willing to say more than a couple words at a time to him, but he was confident that he'd win her over. He would figure this out, not just so he could talk with the rest of his team but so that she wouldn't be so miserable. With that he headed back to the living room where Cyndaquil waited, his spirits lifted slightly and a determined air about him.

Rob found his other pokemon curled up on the couch, nestled in the corner made by the armrest and back of the couch. Cyndaquil poked his head up as he heard his trainer approach and looked up at him, a question in his eyes. "You all set to head out?". An enthusiastic affirmative was the only reply he got from Cyndaquil as he jumped off the couch to join Rob.

It didn't take too long to get everything together as he had most of the things he'd be bringing on his journey already put together. The only things left were the few items and Kirlia which were still in his room.

Kirlia tried not to think as she stared through the small window that gave her a view of the forest beyond the back yard of the house. It did little good though, the thoughts she tried to hold back invaded her conscience anyway.

She had heard that trainers often traveled with their pokemon. She never had though. She had always been confined by the humans who owned her. Looking out the window she thought that whatever the human Rob made her do, she'd at least get to enjoy the sun every now and then, that is if he didn't end up keeping her in the pokeball anyway.

Kirlia figured she didn't care either way. What right did she have to feel sorry for herself, no matter what happened, she had killed all of them. She was just a murderer anyway. She relaxed her fists that she had been unconsciously clenching. She couldn't tell if she was angry at herself, Rob, Wes... She just didn't know anymore.

Voices filtered in through the wall, the humans talking outside and sounding like they were saying goodbye. They died down after a bit and soon there was a soft knock on the door to the room she was in, the human Rob entering a moment after. "Are you ready to go?" he asked gently. Kirlia didn't say anything in reply but hopped off the bed, slowly walking around it as Rob grabbed a bag from his desk.

Rob looked down at the Kirlia he had rescued. She just waited, eyes kept on the floor, silent. The two made their way into the kitchen. Kirlia could feel the eyes of the other two humans on her, making her uncomfortable. She didn't meet the gaze of either of them and tried to place herself where furniture would obstruct their view of her.

Kirlia paid the humans little attention as they made another round of goodbyes and the older two wishing Rob good luck. Had her parents cared about her like that? She didn't really remember much of her life before being captured, just vague impressions as if trying to remember a dream.

She followed as Rob headed towards one of the doorways leading out of the house and opened it to reveal the outside. A neglected part of her, repressed and forgotten wanted to be happy for the beautiful day that waited through that doorway, but so many other thoughts drowned out that tiny voice as Kirlia crossed the boundary. She was once again resigned to be the plaything of another human's whims.


	3. Beginnings

Zoroark looked out over the trees from their vantage point. "And how do you suppose we find her? She teleported away as soon as she murdered our master." Absol turned to look at him with her remaining eye, the other far too damaged from that Abra's attack and with no access to a pokemon center since they were now wild...

"Does it matter how? I will find her, and then I'll take that bitch's eyes. I'll make sure she has a long life, and she'll scream the entire time." Absol laughed euphorically. She frightened him a little. Absol had always been a little off, always having a cruel streak, but since their master's death she had completely lost it.

Not that he didn't want revenge either, and if he had to stick with her to achieve that goal, then so be it. He had failed his master, unable to neutralize the incredible blast of power Kirlia used to kill Wes and his other pokemon. He could never forgive himself, but if it was the last act he performed, he would ensure that his master was avenged.

"We don't even know what direction she left in, and we have to worry about humans now, they can capture us."

"Let the humans try, I'll kill them if need be. As for Kirlia" her eye lit up, face contorting into a deranged smile. "There's blood." Again laughing, Absol headed into the forest, following something unknown to him. He hesitated before following behind, had she completely lost touch with reality?

After what she did to the remaining pokemon who'd survived Kirlia's attack he didn't really doubt it, his stomach roiled at the mere thought. He had no better ideas on how to find the psychic pokemon though, and soon after entering the woods he saw what Absol had sensed. There was blood marking the trail. It was sporadic, Kirlia must have used teleport continuously in her haste to escape, but apparently it was enough that absol could find the next spot each time. It was more or less a straight path anyway.

"Do you have a plan as to what we do once we find her?"

"When we find her? You have such an unimaginative mind Zoroark. I will make her hurt until she no longer breathes. She won't have another worthless pokemon to die for her this time." Absol let out a feral roar into the forest. "Do you hear me Kirlia? I'm coming for you! We will get to play again!" She laughed insanely, continuing to follow the trail.

Zoroark followed silently. Yes, insane or not he trusted that Asbol would indeed find the Kirlia, and he would make sure she paid dearly for murdering his master.

Kirlia walked behind Rob and Cyndaquil as they moved at a brisk pace through the town. The other two seemed excited to be on the road and Rob even talked to Cyndaquil every now and then. Cyndaquil couldn't communicate back made an effort none the less.

She tried to ignore them for the most part, trying to lose herself in her surroundings. She had never been in a town before and it was quite incredible what the humans could build. Signs and buildings with large glass windows displaying various things lined the streets as they walked past. There were also humans milling about all over, some even having pokemon with them like Rob did.

She ignored the pokemon as well. As with Cyndaquil she didn't really know what to do with them. Her only interaction with other pokemon had been in the fights Wes held, and the other psychics he owned. Abra had been the only one who had ever been nice to her, the rest were cold and uncaring at the best of times. That seemed how the world was though, humans and pokemon held together by their mutual hatred of one another. Maybe being alone would be better in the end.

The trio continued their way towards the outskirts of town. Rob and Cyndaquil enjoying themselves and getting excited as the sidewalk turned to just a dirt path on their approach to route 33. Kirlia trailing a few feet behind, caught up in her own thoughts.

Every now and again Rob looked back to check on Kirlia. Her mood wasn't too hard to figure out, depressed as ever and he didn't even try and fool himself into thinking that she'd be with him given the choice. He couldn't just abandon her though. He didn't want to think what would happen to the small psychic pokemon if he just let her back into the forest.

If she had appeared out of the blue into his yard while that injured she must not have had anywhere to go, and then what Nurse Joy had told him. She wasn't a wild pokemon. Had her previous trainer been the cause of her injuries? He didn't know, but he would protect her as best as he could. Hopefully at some point he would get to see her smile, though at the moment he'd take anything over her current misery.

Despite how he felt about Kirlia, he couldn't help the excitement that filled him. He had waited all his life for this moment. He was finally leaving home with his pokemon by his side. The path was well worn, trainers had walked route 33 many times before him, and now it was his chance to leave an impression.

Cyndaquil was much weaker than Kirlia and would need training the most, and that was banking on whether Kirlia would even fight for him. Route 33 wasn't a very long route but they would definitely meet some wild pokemon before reaching Union Cave. "Be prepared for anything Cyndaquil" Rob called down to his companion, walking merrily next to him.

Cyndaquil shot out a jet of sparks in response, showing he was ready for whatever came their way. Rob couldn't help himself from letting out a confident laugh. They would make their way to Violet City and defeat Violet Gym with no problems, he could feel it.

The further from the outskirts of Azalea they went, the rougher the path became. Forest started to creep up around them and the path turned more rugged. A handful of wild pokemon watched them pass but none came out to attack the travelers.

Kirlia found herself feeling a small portion of the weight weighing her down lifted by her surroundings. The forest around them with sunlight filtering down through the vegetation was something that had been long denied her. She tried to occupy herself as they traveled, attempting to feel out the life forces around her with her psychic abilities. Achieving the necessary level of concentration was difficult with all the other thoughts that ran unbidden through her mind. Still, with the calm of the forest she was able to let her psychic energies touch her surroundings.

The mental exercises helped some, and after an hour or so after heading out from Rob's home, Kirlia was able to occupy her mind with something other than the cycle of dark thoughts that had been plaguing her. In her inexperience with her abilities, she only realized the wild Rattata's intentions a split second before the creature jumped out of a bush in front of them.

"Haha! You ready Cyndaquil?" but the fire type was already leaping in front of his trainer, taking up position to engage the wild pokemon. The pair squared off, each looking for an opening in their opponent's defenses. Rob ordered the first move, Cyndaquil using leer, Rattata charging in response.

Cyndaquil tried to dodge the oncoming tackle but was only partially successful, taking a glancing blow. Kirlia had taken position a few steps behind Rob to watch the fight. Rob's inexperience was clear as she watched the two small pokemon exchange blows. Despite that though, Kirlia could feel the excitement radiating from her new trainer.

After a few more minutes of trading tackles and Rob yelling orders to his battling pokemon, Cyndaquil came out the winner. It was a sloppy win, being the pair's first fight and Kirlia was surprised when Rob grabbed Cyndaquil into his arms to congratulate the panting victor.

Both of them were excited over the win, Rob showering praise on the pokemon over his performance. The display confused Kirlia slightly. None of the trainers she had seen at Wes' fights had ever celebrated in such a manner, and Rob hadn't even won anything by defeating the wild Rattata. Kirlia remained a silent as she watched the two, staying out of their way.

After letting Cyndaquil rest for a few minutes, the three were back on the path. The forest wasn't particularly dense and allowed for good visibility around them. Other than the occasional patch of shrubbery, wild pokemon didn't have a chance to sneak up on them and the next two encounters were handled a little more adeptly than the first. He was still unable to produce a proper ember but he had gained the ability to create quite a potent smoke screen.

"Kirlia?" she jumped slightly at Rob's sudden appearance next to her, having lapsed back into being consumed by her thoughts. Kirlia glanced up at him briefly acknowledging him before looking back towards the ground. He seemed to hesitate before continuing. "Would you mind covering for Cyndaquil for a bit while he takes a break?"

"As you command" came the reply in Rob's mind in her hollow, distant tone. He hadn't intended to sound like he was ordering her, or maybe no matter what he'd have said she'd react the same. Despite her tone however, he couldn't help himself from feeling a little excited as she took the lead. She would naturally be much stronger than Cyndaquil just given the fact that she had already reached her first evolution. Not to mention that Nurse Joy had told him she had incredible potential. Rob could hardly wait to see what his newest pokemon could do in battle.

Now leading the other two, Kirlia felt hesitant about fighting. She hadn't used her psychic powers for battle since she had killed at Wes' house. She fought to keep her hands from trembling as she charged a small amount of psychic energy. It was nothing like the all consuing power she had somehow tapped into in those last moments in the basement. The energy quickly dissipated as she released her hold on it, struggling to control her breathing at the feelings it brought with it.

Before long another Rattata confronted the small group, growling at the three. Kirlia immediately charging an attack. Rob shouted some commands from behind her but she ignored him. Having far less experience, his commands would be of no help to her. She poured the energy of her confusion attack directly into the small pokemon's mind, the creature's body convulsing violently before collapsing to the earth.

Kirlia froze, eyes widening at what she had just done. The attack had been rather reserved, nothing even close to what she could have thrown at it, and it had convincingly ended the fight practically before it had even begun. The Rattata was alive, she could still feel it's life energy with her psychic abilities.

"Wow that was incredible, great job!" Rob said as he approached her.

"Showoff" came a mutter from Cyndaquil but Kirlia ignored both of their comments. She shied away from Rob as he approached, afraid he'd pick her up like he had Cyndaquil, and began walking down the path again. She had never had such a one sided fight, and the rush she had felt from utterly crushing her opponent frightened her. Was that how Absol felt? Was she turning into some freakish monstrosity like Wes' pokemon? She shivered at the thought as they continued along the path.

It was late in the afternoon before Rob decided to stop for lunch in a clearing he spotted just off the trail. Rob set his pack down and broke out a blanket for them to sit on. Cyndaquil stuck his nose into the pack and started to dig around in it. "Calm down there, I'll get you something to eat in a second" he chuckled at his ravenous pokemon.

Rob's mom had packed him a couple of sandwiches for the road and he decided to eat those first as they would spoil long before his other food. He pulled them out of his pack along with food for his two pokemon. He handed one of the bowls to Cyndaquil who tore into it immediately; and looking for Kirlia, he sighed as he saw her sitting a distance away from them almost on the opposite side of the clearing.

Getting up, he headed over to her. She hadn't eaten anything since they left, he didn't know if she was afraid to ask him for food or what but she had to eat at some point. She often seemed lost in thought so he put on his most winning smile and called out to her before he got too close, not wanting to startle her. "Hey, you hungry?"

Well he had tried. Kirlia jumped slightly at the noise, the air around her arm becoming distorted with blueish energy. It quickly dissipated once she saw who it was though. At least it didn't seem like she was going to kill him after all he thought ruefully to himself. He continued toward her, leaning down slightly and offering the bowl. "You have to eat, you haven't had anything all day."

Kirlia's whole demeanor changed as her eyes widened and she stared at the bowl. A trembling arm reached slowly to take the food from Rob's hand. He was worried she would drop the bowl but her grasp was firm, continuing to stare as she brought it closer to her. Rob stayed near her, silently watching her reaction to his simple gesture.

Suddenly she was back in the basement, Abra offering a bowl of food to her. She never asked him for it and often times she didn't even want to eat, but Abra was unwilling to watch her starve herself. She turned away from Rob as she struggled to hold back the tears. Why wouldn't this human just leave her alone?

"Kirlia, are you okay?" He was slightly concerned at her reaction, he moved closer to her.

"I'm fine." The response harsh, freezing his advance. Kirlia was turned away from him, making it impossible to see her face, but her whole body had seemed to wilt following his approach.

"If you're," He began again but he was cut off by a snarling voice in his mind.

"I said I'm fine."

"But-" Psychic energy flared around her in a split second, making Rob jump back a little. He was a little ashamed thinking that his pokemon was going to attack him, but Kirlia merely teleported a short distance away to another part of the clearing, and small barrier engulfing her. He sighed, standing up. If there was ever a indication that someone didn't want to be bothered that would be it. Why wouldn't she even talk to him though.

Rob returned to Cyndaquil who had been watching the exchange from a distance. Cyndaquil looked up questioningly. "I have no idea" Rob said back to him, laying back on the blanket he had laid out. After a moment he propped himself up and started in on his own lunch, angling himself to watch the blue translucent field that Kirlia had erected.

Cyndaquil sidled up to him, at first Rob thought it was to comfort him but the looks Cyndaquil was giving his lunch said otherwise. "You already had yours, if you keep it up you're going to get fat" Rob said, poking his friend in the side. Cyndaquil tried to look indignant and upon failing, they both broke out in laughter.

The barrier around Kirlia fell a short time after she had set it up, but her back looked no less inviting for it. He wished he had someone to talk to about Kirlia, he had no idea what to do for her and Cyndaquil couldn't respond back. From the occasional dirty look he sent her way Rob didn't think Cyndaquil would be the most unbiased individual anyway. He'd think of something, and still with quite a distance to go before Violet City, he'd have plenty of time to contemplate.

Time passed quickly and uneventfully as the three continued along Route 33. It had taken Kirlia quite a while to pluck up the courage to return the bowl after her outburst at Rob, though he didn't beat her or even reprimand her over it. Cyndaquil had a few more wild pokemon to practice against and while he was seeming to get a bit stronger, he and Rob still were more excited than strategic in their interactions during battle. She could crush them both like she had that Rattata.

The thought came to her mind unbidden, and it frightened her. Her eyes clenched shut, as well as her fists. She could never do something like that, she wouldn't let herself, not again. No matter what, she wouldn't. But if she did, if she used her power, she could be free and no one would try and hurt her anymore... _NO_!

Kirlia opened her eyes just in time to see the back of Rob's leg as she walked into it. A startled squeak escaped her lips as she jumped back from the collision.

"Careful there," Rob said, giving her a reassuring smile, Kirlia looked away from him as she backed off a little.

They now stood in front of an entrance to what looked like a cave drilled straight into the face of a large rock wall. "Union Cave," Rob announced. "Though there's no point in going in today," he said, looking up at the darkening sky.

The clearing was conveniently located just off the road and had the look of being used many times before. Kirlia merely watched from a distance as Rob set about putting together a small tent he had packed with him and getting a fire started with the aid of Cyndaquil. While he still couldn't produce a true ember attack, it was more than enough the get the kindling going, and soon they had a nice blaze throwing dancing shapes up against the surrounding forest.

Her internal struggle between wanting to be near the fire and wanting to be left alone placed her on the opposite side of the blaze as Rob and Cyndaquil. She had her back to it, letting the heat wash over her and staring at the dancing lights surrounding her silhouette that was thrown up on the trees by the flames. It was pretty. She'd never thought to see fire outside a pokemon battle. The fact that something generally used for destruction and pain could be turned into such a beautiful display seemed to warm her more than the heat from the fire itself.

A relaxing calm spread through her, making her feel more at ease than she could remember since falling asleep in Abra's arms. She laid down, making herself comfortable in the soft grass. Heat clouded her mind with contentment and soon the gentle embrace of sleep held her.

The sky was completely dark when Kirlia woke up, but she must have not slept for long as the fire, while lower, still burned and Rob was still chatting with Cyndaquil. Sitting up she saw that there was a bowl of food left near her, and after having traveled all day, was glad for it. It didn't take her long to finish the simple meal and as she returned to watching the fire she couldn't help but feel a little better.

"Kirlia? We're heading to bed if you want to come sleep in the tent." Rob said as he circled the fire towards where she sat. Kirlia moved to get up but froze. He was doing it again, taking her by surprise when she let her guard down. What did he want with her, why was he trying to be nice? Her eyes narrowed as she glance to her side where he towered over her.

"I'm fine, I'll just sleep out here." Her voice had lost some of its chill but was still standoffish.

"The fire will be out, it will get cold and there's wild pokemon."

"Are you ordering me to sleep with you?"

"Am I, what? Of course not, but there's plenty of room and you won't have to sleep outside and-" but per usual she didn't even let him finish talking before ending their conversation.

"Then if it's not an order I'll sleep out here."

"Suit yourself then," his tone exasperated but he didn't push it further as he returned to get Cyndaquil before disappearing into the tent. A little of her dark mood returned but with the warmth of the embers still glowing behind her and a full stomach, sleep sounded like a good idea. She nestled herself back into the grass and was once again quickly asleep.

Unfortunately for Rob, sleep didn't come as swiftly as it had for Kirlia. He knew he shouldn't get frustrated with her but she would hardly even speak to him. She didn't seem to listen to him even when they did talk. Was she trying to be difficult on purpose? From what he'd seen of her she clearly wasn't playing a joke but...

Maybe he should just release her, she was a strong pokemon and he'd be pretty set with her on his team but at the same time if it was him who was making her miserable, well he certainly didn't want that. He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours in the dark tent before getting up and going outside.

With the fire out a chill had definitely fallen over their camp. It was odd feeling like he needed a walk after doing nothing but for the entire day, however laying awake in bed wasn't helping. The moon was large in the cloudless sky above and gave ample light for his late stroll. He found himself back on the Route 33 path again and followed it back towards Azalea town for maybe a quarter mile before turning around. It was probably an incredibly stupid idea to walk the path without either of his pokemon with him but he didn't care, and the only pokemon he saw were a few Zubat that flew well overhead.

The walk had done his mind some good, and while no closer to solving his problem with Kirlia, he felt tired enough to finally get some sleep. Once back at his simple camp he sat down across the smoldering embers of the fire opposite from Kirlia. She looked so helpless curled up on the ground next to the fire.

"Kir...lia..." It sounded almost like a plea, though Rob was unable to understand the frightened sound without the sleeping pokemon's psychic powers to translate. It pained him to see anyone like that, especially a pokemon he was supposed to be there for. No, he wouldn't abandon her, even if she didn't want his help. Grabbing a spare blanket from his pack, Rob placed it gently over her and then headed back to his own bed. Sleep following soon after.

Kirlia woke late the following morning, a blanket that had not been there when she fell asleep covered her warmly. She squeezed her eyes shut again. Why? Why did he continue doing this to her? Why wouldn't he just leave her be? She couldn't take much more of his kindness. What did he want from her? A shout from the tent quickly took her out of her thoughts and she bolted upright.

"Gah, you could have just nudged me, I'm well aware you can breathe fire." A half sleepy, half annoyed voice came from inside the tent and was soon followed out by a disheveled looking Rob. He poked at a smoldering hole in his shirt as Cyndaquil jumped out of the tent looking rather pleased with himself. "And since when did you become a morning person" he grumbled. "Sorry for the sudden awakening" he grinned sheepishly at her. She gave him a glare in return. She didn't want his kindness.

Breakfast was a quick affair, the three of them eating around the dead fire pit Rob had thrown dirt over. Rob leaned back, having already finished his meal and waiting on his pokemon. "It should take us most of the day to get through but we should be out before dark if all goes well" he said, not talking to anyone in particular. "You'll probably have a hard time with most of the wild pokemon we'll find in there as you'll be at a type disadvantage but I'll have Kirlia back you up if needed." Cyndaquil puffed out his chest at the comment but Rob continued on.

"Maybe I'll even get the chance to capture another pokemon, maybe a Sandshrew or Geodude would be cool, but I've heard that there are some more rare pokemon are found in there on occasion. An Absol would-"

"What?" Kirlia leapt to her feet as the frantic voice entered his mind. "Th-there are Absol in that cave? And you'd capture one of those... those things?" She had taken a step back from him, eyes wide, dropping into a defensive stance out of instinct.

"Kirlia?" Rob said now sitting up. "Those superstitions about Absol are just stories, they don't actually cause disasters. And if you're worried about being at a type disadvantage, I'm sure Cyndaquil will be more than a match." He smiled at her, trying to be reassuring but it didn't seem to have the desired effect.

She knew it, they were all alike, Rob was just trying to gain her trust so he could use her. And when he was done with her she'd be thrown to his Absol. And she couldn't do anything about it. Unless... No, if she killed them, she'd be no better than Wes' Absol, worse even.

A small growl caught Kirlia's attention and she looked up. Cyndaquil was now between her and Rob, Rob standing and looking at her worriedly. To her surprise her right hand swirled with psychic energy. She let out a startled squeak and quickly made the energy dissipate, she hadn't even realize she conjured it. Just as suddenly as it came, the panic and fight left her, she dropped to the ground, shaking slightly.

She couldn't do it anymore, he won. _I'm sorry Abra, I wasted your sacrifice, I wasn't able to do anything with the freedom you gave me_.He had beaten her, she no longer had the will to resist him.

A lone tear rolled down Kirlia's face as she stood up. Rob watched silently as she picked up the bowl that had fallen to the ground and approached him. "I'm sorry for dropping this, master." The voice in his mind dead and empty. Kirlia held out the bowl to him, her eyes to the ground. Rob only stared, _what the hell had just happened_? He took the bowl slowly.

"Kirlia, what...?" She raised her head. Those eyes that had once froze him in place with their ferocity now looked up at him as if from a corpse. That hollow look chilled him to the bone.

"I'll be waiting for your command to leave." Voice matching those eyes. Rob merely watched, the bowl still grasped by both hands, as Kirlia walked a short distance away and sat down. He couldn't tell but she seemed to tremble as she sat. Otherwise she gave no indication of her thoughts, her eyes devoid of emotion.

Rob glanced down at the bowl and then to Cyndaquil who was giving him a "this one is all yours" kind of look and returned to finishing his meal. "Fat lot of help you are" he muttered and heard a snickering reply from his fire pokemon as he walked over to the tent. It didn't take him long to get their camp cleaned up and everything put back into his pack. He kept an eye on Kirlia as he did so, worried about her, but she didn't do anything but stare off into the distance, expression unchanging.

He had been hoping for a change in attitude but if anything this was worse. Before she at least had a fire in her, raging behind whatever sadness and troubles that had seemed to consume her. But now... It was a pitiful sight. And how had it happened. Had he said something wrong? He could understand not being eager to fight dark type pokemon but to completely destroy her like that? To get her to start calling him master? Was this something from her other trainer, he certainly didn't want his pokemon to see him as their master, and had never knowingly given her that notion. The one thing he did know was his journey was not starting out as he had envisioned.

With their camp cleaned up and everything packed, Rob lead his two pokemon from the clearing back onto the path and right to the mouth of Union Cave. "Master, can I please go in my ball?" Her voice still held the same emptiness but he could hear the fear she was trying to keep out of it. Her eyes were wide as she gazed towards the black maw leading into Union Cave, quivering slightly. It was the only thing she'd ever asked of him, and it tore at him to look down at her for his reply.

"I'm sorry, but I need you out in case Cyndaquil gets into trouble."

"Of course." That voice haunted him, he almost grabbed her pokeball and returned her anyway. He squeezed his eyes shut as he turned from his frightened pokemon.

"Everything will be fine" he said half to her, half to try and convince himself. As soon as they entered the cave Rob silently cursed himself over his first major blunder. He grabbed a light from his pack and turned it on, lighting up their immediate surroundings but not much else. How had he forgot to buy the flash HM.

The cave opened widely from the initial small opening. The sounds of their footsteps echoing through out the cave, mixing with the sounds from the cave's other occupants. Cyndaquil lead the group with Kirlia trailing Rob. He made them go slowly, his flashlight not being overly bright and the cave was littered with pools of water which were surprisingly difficult to distinguish from the cave floor. He had no idea how deep they were and he could die peacefully never finding out.

The interior of the cave was much more disorienting than Rob had expected it to be, and his small pool of light made navigation difficult. Either way though, as long he kept out of the lower levels of the cave they should make it through with little difficulty, the upper levels weren't very large. The real problem would be the cave's would inhabitants. "Get ready Cyndaquil, I think I hear something."

The party stopped and Cyndaquil fell into his fighting stance, none of them thought of the attack coming from their side though. Cyndaquil grunted as a small form slammed into him from the side, the pair rolling out of Rob's light. "Shit" Rob jumped at the sudden attack, panic rising as he once again overlooked something vital. He hadn't considered how his pokemon would fight in the dark, his flashlight giving poor illumination for traveling let alone a battle.

"Cyndaquil!" Rob called out in the direction he thought the struggle was coming from. Flames erupted to his right, but not the weak sparks that Cyndaquil usually produced, it was a full fledged ember attack that quickly lit up the scene before him. A Sandshrew leapt out of the way of the flames and landed a few feet away, the cave being plunged back into darkness as the flames died out. Rob swung his light towards them to try and keep Cyndaquil and his opponent illuminated the best he could. "Kirlia, if it looks like Cyndaquil is in trouble, try and help him out."

"Yes master" her emotionless reply came.

"Cyndaquil, stay away from his attacks, use ember to keep him at a distance" Rob called out and Cyndaquil kept up the pressure. Jets of flame quickly lit up the area in what would have been an impressive light show had Rob not been so worried about his pokemon. Though he relaxed a little as Cyndaquil seemed to regain some control over the fight.

The Sandshrew was much better than the other wild pokemon Cyndaquil had been fighting outside of Union Cave so far. If they were all this good it would be a difficult trek to Route 32. Sandshrew kept his distance, not getting close enough for Cyndaquil to land a solid hit with his ember attack and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Cyndaquil had managed to keep his opponent at bay, deflecting incoming attacks with ember but the fight had stagnated to a stalemate.

"Kirlia, I'm going to call Cyndaquil back, when I do I want you to hit Sandshrew with a confusion. Don't over do it though, I want to capture him," Rob said quickly to Kirlia who had been standing next to him, watching the fight.

"As you command." He'd have to stop her from doing this once they got out of here, but now wasn't the time. He grabbed an empty pokeball from his pack and got ready.

"Cyndaquil, fall back!" He shouted at the fighting pokemon. Cyndaquil looked surprised but fended off Sandshrew as he made his retreat. Cyndaquil looked at him with a huff as he saw Kirlia heading at his previous opponent. "Don't worry, you were doing great, those were some impressive flames," Rob said trying to soothe his pokemon's bruised ego, "but I want to capture this one, I didn't want you to finish him off." It seemed to placate the fire pokemon and they both watched as Kirlia entered the fight.

Sandshrew was hesitant as the newcomer approached but she seemed to move slowly, leaving her open for a quick attack. He almost reached her. The confusion Kirlia used held only a small fraction of the power she could have put into it, but Rob had commanded her to use a weakened version. The attack was still more than enough though and Sandshrew crashed to the ground, struggling to get up in a daze after the psychic blow.

"Stand back Kirlia!" Rob shouted, excitement mixed in his voice as he prepared to throw the pokeball. Kirlia stepped out of the way as the red and white sphere connected with the struggling Sandshrew, sucking him in with a red flash of light. The ball shook twice before making a satisfying click. "Haha, we got him, great job you two." Rob ruffled Cyndaquil's fur before running to where the ball lay on the ground, attaching it to his belt.

The first pokemon he truly caught, he couldn't help from beaming at the fact. With the dim light and hostile surroundings, Rob decided to wait until they were out of the cave to acclimate his new team member to the rest of them. After a quick break to let Cydndaquil catch his breath, they headed into the dark cave once again.

Another Sandshrew jumped them a little further on, but being less adept than the first, Cyndaquil was able to defeat it without too much trouble. Their second opponent was a Zubat that was fended off rather quickly with a blast of flames, Rob stopping Cyndaquil from giving chase. Their first true roadblock came in the form of a Geodude.

Cyndaquil's flames seemed to bounce harmlessly off of the rock-like hide of the wild pokemon. Rob was going to have to call Cyndaquil back if this continued, there was no reason to keep him in if he couldn't even damage his opponent. The next move decided it for him. Cyndaquil launched another barrage of flames at Geodude but this time the Geodude didn't even pay attention to the fire and launched a tackle straight at the fire mouse. It hit with a sickening thump as Cyndaquil was thrown sprawling back at the two observers. "Cyndaquil! Kirlia take over," Rob yelled and ran to his fallen companion.

Cyndaquil shook himself as he got back to his feet. "Cyndaquil, are you okay?" Rob questioned as he got down to check on his pokemon. Cyndaquil gave him an exasperated look like he was being over protective, and Rob did kind of feel silly; while it had been a hard hit, a single tackle was unlikely to cause any major injury. "Fine you're right, I worry too much, but I'm glad you're okay. Cyndaquil?" But his pokemon wasn't paying attention to him anymore, instead his eyes widened and looked back at the fight.

The flashlight Rob had placed on the ground and directed at the Geodude before running to Cyndaquil showed a strange sight. Geodude's elongated shadow raced behind him as he rushed at Kirlia, and the psychic pokemon merely stood looking at her attacker. Rob didn't see the telltale distortion of psychic energy or even the deadly grace that seemed to naturally surround her as she prepared to fight. No, his pokemon was planning on taking the hit without a fight.

"Kirlia what are you doing? Get out of the way!" Rob shouted, jumping back to his feet.

"I'm waiting for your command-" The hollow voice in his mind began, but she was cut off by the attack that she made no effort to avoid. Geodude's fist slammed squarely into Kirlia's chest, sending her small form crashing to the ground where it skid to a halt. "Kirlia, psybeam!" Rob had no idea if Kirlia could hear him or if she was even conscious after the blow. What was she thinking, was she trying to get herself killed? Light flared up around her and the attack that rocketed from the ground where Kirlia lay slammed into the surprised Geodude and sent him rolling off into the darkness of the cave. Rob ran to her.

Kirlia coughed and gasped, trying to refill her lungs after the brutal hit. Her stupid subservient resistance hurting much more than she had expected it to, it was a dumb way to show she was under his complete command and try and resist him at the same time. Why couldn't she just let go. Her vision swam a little as she sat up clutching her chest. The wounds that had been recently healed left no marks but were still tender, and the blow she just received didn't help.

"Kirlia are you alright? What the hell was that?" Kirlia wheezed and coughed as she sat on the ground but the voice that spoke in his mind was her newly adopted empty tone.

"I was waiting for your commands."

"Don't give me that, you barely paid me any mind the other day when you were fighting, and you know more about fighting than I do anyway, it's obvious even to me." He fought down the anger that was building inside him. What would make her do something so stupid, why would she risk getting seriously hurt? She flinched away from his touch but Rob's hands were quickly feeling where she had grasped her chest. "I don't think any of your ribs are broken," Rob said finally, a little calmer now, "You should only be left with a bruise." He sat back sighing, his body coming down from the adrenaline high.

Kirlia was still breathing hard. Why wouldn't he yell at her, beat her. She knew he wanted to, she could feel the anger that had risen within him. She could feel his frustration, like a spring under tension, waiting to burst. And why couldn't she just stop herself from caring, why did she still care what happened to her or what he did or wanted to use her for. Was there even anything left that the world could take from her?

After the beating his pokemon had just taken, he decided that where they sat was as good a place as any to take a break for lunch. They ate in silence for the most part, even Cyndaquil was being oddly sober. When they were ready, he turned to Kirlia. "If you want orders from me, then I'll give you this one. Defend yourself if you're ever in harm's way" Her own anger flared up this time. Why?

The rest of the walk through the cave was mostly uneventful. Cyndaquil was able to dispatch two more Sandshrew and Kirlia took out a Geodude. There were plenty of Zubat but most just ran after a spraying of ember from Cyndaquil. It seemed like it took forever but after rounding a bend, light miraculously shone from a distance.

Cyndaquil let out a gleeful shout and dashed towards the light, only to run headfirst into a translucent barrier. He spun angrily to Kirlia, growling fiercely at her. Rob was laughing but Kirlia listlessly pointed in the direction he had been running. He turned and saw the faintest shimmer of light reflecting off... _Water_ the fire type thought shuddering. Cyndaquil turned back and shot a tiny jet of flames at his trainer.

"Hahaha I'm sorry but that look on your face was priceless," he said and picked Cyndaquil up, placing him on his shoulder. "We made it all this way without incident, don't want to risk it now," and with another chuckle from Rob, the trio stepped out into the brilliant light.


	4. Moving Forward

It was like being reborn as they stepped out into the crisp, fresh air of Route 32. The breeze was a nice change from the stagnant air of Union Cave, and while not as bright as it had looked from inside, the sun still burned warmly on the horizon. It felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her, the cave reminding her more of Wes' basement than made her comfortable. The dark, constant threat of Absol. Just the thought made her shiver.

Rob lead them at a relaxing pace along the path. The surroundings had changed considerably in the short span they were in the cave for. The trees were much less dense on this side and looking ahead it seemed like they gave way to sprawling hills of wild grass and shrub.

"Much nicer out here isn't it?" Rob asked, a content, carefree tone to which Cyndaquil quickly agreed. Hard to argue with that she thought sadly, had things been under different circumstances, she probably would have been very happy to be here. "Well I guess here is as good a place as any, and I wasn't expecting to get very far once we got out of the cave anyway," and with that, Rob dropped his bulky pack and started to break out his tent.

The clearing wasn't as nice as the previous one, the ground was a little uneven and there were a few trees around but it would do. "Cyndaquil, Kirlia, you guys want to see if you can get some kindling for the fire while I set this up?"

"Sure!" Cyndaquil said enthusiastically followed shortly by Kirla's "As you wish." Rob wouldn't have understood Cyndaquil's exact words but he seemed to get his meaning more often than not. Kirlia set off in a different direction than Cyndaquil to search for sticks. Neither of them were really built for this kind of work and Kirlia could only carry a few pieces of wood each trip, none of them being very large. If she could use her psychic power it would make the work a lot easier but to manipulate objects like that, psychic, was a much more advanced skill than she was able to accomplish.

Their pile of sticks grew slowly and Rob soon had the tent set up. "Hey guys come on over, I'm going to let Sandshrew out before it gets dark." She heard Rob call out and headed back to their camp with a stick she had. Dropping it off on the pile she joined the other two who both looked eager to meet their new companion.

Rob had been waiting for his chance to make some grand gesture to release a pokemon and he figured he might as well get it out of his system now. It seemed kind of childish even to him, but he didn't let it didn't stop him.

"Go Sandshrew!" he called out, whipping the pokeball into the air. The ball arced high and released his newest pokemon in a bright flash of red light. The ball snapped back to his hand and he looked down at the released pokemon. Sandshrew wobbled for a second before falling over, Rob had kept him in stasis, and it seemed Kirlia's confusion attack hadn't quite worn off. He struggled to get up but Rob sat down next to him.

"Easy there, give it a second, you'll be alright." It didn't take him long to recover though, and he looked up at Rob, still sitting. "Welcome to the team," Rob told him and got a happy "Shrew!" and a smile in return. "Glade to have you," said Rob, patting him on the head.

Rob introduced Sandshrew to the others after quickly introducing himself. After a bit Sandshrew turned to her with a smile. "That was quite an attack you hit me with," he said cheerily. Kirlia stared at him for a second. She didn't know how to respond, he seemed to be happy to be captured, and didn't even harbor any resentment over her part in it. It wasn't just an act either, she could feel the happiness radiating from him.

"Uh, thanks," she finally replied, unsure of how to take this. He gave her an inquisitive look but turned back to his new trainer after a second. Rob moved to the pile of sticks and began setting up the fire.

He had thought they would have gathered more in the time it took him to get that damned tent set up. "Kirlia you could have used your psychic powers to gather this stuff if you'd wanted." Rob called to her, looking at her over his shoulder, trying to give her an inviting smile. She immediately dropper her eyes as his head turned.

"I'm sorry, that's beyond my ability," she said miserably and spun, heading out back towards where she had been gathering earlier. _Shit._ Every time he tried to talk with her it seemed like he said the worst possible thing. He was pretty sure there was something wrong with him.

"Kirlia! You don't have to..." He tried to call her back but trailed off as she retreated, either out of earshot or just ignoring him, he couldn't tell which. He sighed and turned back to the fire, at least Sandshrew had turned out not to hate him. Now all he had to do was figure her out.

Kirlia walked further out this time, her hand trembled. She didn't understand why his words had hurt so much, she didn't care what he thought. Though apparently she did. Clenching her fist, she willed psychic energy to spring up around it. She concentrated, putting as much as she could into the attack and launching it at a nearby tree. The tree shook from the blow, a couple of Pidgey squawked at her as they took off into the darkening sky.

A leaf fluttered down and Kirlia tried to catch it, but it was like trying to use a hand made of smoke, the leaf slowing, but continuing inevitably downward. She tried again with the same result. _I'm not useful to anybody._ After gathering as many fallen sticks as she could carry, she laboriously dragged them back towards where a small fire now blazed, fighting back tears.

Sandshrew watched as Kirlia walked away from the camp, his new trainer with his hands interlocked above his head. "What was that about?" he asked Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil gave the psychic pokemon's back a cold look before shrugging and turning back to Sandshrew.

"I have no idea, but that's how most conversations with her go. I don't think she likes Rob, or wants to be with us really," Cyndaquil started to explain. "I've only ever heard her speak once, and that was when she yelled at Rob. He talks to her sometimes, but she must use her psychic powers since it always seems like Rob is talking to himself to me."

"Hmm, so you haven't even talked with her? How long have you guys been traveling?"

"This is only our second day since leaving Rob's home," Cyndaquil laughed. "But no I haven't talked with her. Rob tries to be nice and in return she's mean and cold. Mostly she just tries to avoid us though," Cyndaquil continued, his eyes darkening at the affront to his trainer.

"Well maybe she just needs some time then, not everyone has the easiest of lives before being captured." Sandshrew grew distracted for a moment, his eyes growing distant as he thought back. "But I'm with you guys now," he said cheering up quickly. "And I want a rematch with you sometime without Kirlia having to come and save you."

"Save me?" Cyndaquil spluttered playfully. "Haha, Rob was just afraid I'd do too much damage before he got the chance to capture you."

"Yeah, there was really a danger of that," Sandshrew jested back.

"I'll be glad to show you any time," and with that Cyndaquil blew flames out into the fire pit Rob had set up, igniting the dry wood immediately.

Rob jumped back from the sudden intense heat and looked down at his two pokemon. "Alright you two, take it easy, you'll get plenty of chances to show off later." The two laughed as they joined their trainer around the pleasant blaze. "Now, who's hungry?" He wanted to wait for Kirlia but for all he knew she could be spending the entire night out there. He dished out their meals with a sigh, he just might never understand that one.

After he doled the food out, even preparing an extra bowl for Kirlia, she returned. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew had already started in on their meals as if they hadn't eaten in days but Rob stood up as she approached. He couldn't tell if the sight was adorable or heart wrenching, probably a mix of both as he knew it was his fault she was upset. Kirlia struggled with the large bundle she was dragging to where the pile was, far too much for her small body to manage easily.

Rob walked out to her. "Hey, you can just leave them there, we've got more than enough. Why don't you come have something to eat? And I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I didn't-" She didn't look at him as she dropped her large bundle in a heap.

"It doesn't matter," her voice wavered as she took the bowl from him, still not meeting his gaze. Rob cringed as the voice entered his mind. She had tried hard to maintain that icy, dispassionate tone but he could hear it falter. He thought about trying to join her where she sat down, away from the others, but he'd probably just end up saying something he'd regret again. And with her not even looking at him, he'd let her be for now.

He left the sticks where they were and went to sit down beside his other two pokemon, who were still eating and seeming to joke with one another. He ruffled their heads before leaning back to eat his own meal, this was more how he had envisioned his journey to be.

Kirlia ate slowly on the opposite side of the fire from the others. She wondered how long he'd keep it up, beating her down and then trying to be friendly, was it just to mess with her? She desperately wanted to not care, about them, or what happened, but it seemed the harder she tried, the harder it was to maintain the act. She wouldn't break down though, not here, that's probably just what he wanted, to see her misery.

The embers glowed warmly under her cold glare, they truly not caring about the world around. She had eaten everything in the bowl without realizing it, and was quickly taken in by the dancing flames, the heat uncomfortably warm against her face. The figure that approached her from the side startled her slightly as he sat down next to her. She was even more surprised when she noticed who it was though. She thought about getting up and leaving, or teleporting off into the dark, but if there was one person who might understand...

"You're an awfully quite one," Sandshrew said softly, firelight playing off his dark eyes. Kirlia studied him, he was calm, it was easy to sense his emotions from this distance.

"Why are you here?" She asked him, speaking directly to his mind. It wasn't intentional if she came across as rude, and she didn't use the cold empty voice she tried to keep up around Rob. The voice that entered his mind was one of someone who had been utterly defeated, hopeless. Something he was familiar with.

"Because I've been trying to be here for a long time. I've been waiting months near the entrance of that cave in hopes that a trainer would come by and catch me. I'd fight as hard as I could, hoping to impress one of them enough that they'd take me along." Sandshrew started in a somber voice.

"You wanted to join up with one of those twisted beings? A human?" Kirlia interrupted but Sandshrew only continued in his steady, soothing voice.

"I was defeated many times, I suffered through a good many brutal fights, only to wake up injured and left alone in the dark to fend for myself while weakened. But I continued until today, when I was finally able to catch the eye of someone who would take me with them. Someone who, in the small time I've been with, seems like a genuinely good person." He paused, looking directly into Kirlia's crimson eyes. His presence had a calming effect on her reminiscent of Abra, she broke the gaze, unable to maintain it.

"But why?" She needed to know why he had put himself through that, just to end up in the same situation she was.

"Because, it's easier to move on when there are others around to rely on, people that you can trust."

"There's no such thing," she said immediately, she might not have traveled far, or even lived a very long life, but in all of the humans she had met, they used their pokemon ruthlessly for their sick pleasures and sport. They didn't care whether those fights left them maimed or dead.

"Humans and pokemon can be cruel, but the majority of both are good people, none of us want to see you suffer. If you keep it all locked up within yourself, it will destroy you." Sandshrew stood and walked back to where Rob and Cyndaquil were swatting at each other, fixing a smile back on his face. She hadn't realized she'd started crying, and quickly wiped the hot tears from her face. He was wrong, and he was a fool for being so easily taken in by Rob's lies. He had to be.

Rob watched curiously as Sandshrew returned from his chat with Kirlia. The fact that she hadn't taken off or attacked kind of surprised him, maybe it was just him.

"I'm impressed, now if she only gave me the chance to talk with her," he said half jokingly to his newest pokemon, though secretly hoping for any kind of insight Sandshrew glanced back at Kirlia who now had her back to the flames, his smile faded a bit but returned quickly as he gave Rob a pat on the leg and a consoling "Shrew."

"You have quite the way with words there," Rob said smilingly and patted Sandshrew on the head who beamed at the contact. Rob lay back on the soft grass that covered their campsite, enjoying the warmth of the fire and his new friends. It was almost hard to believe that he'd met Cyndaquil less than a week ago, and now Sandshrew had joined them. Maybe he'd cheated a little, using Kirlia to capture him but if he was happy to be with them then no reason to worry over it right?

Cyndaquil jumped onto him, taking his usual spot warming Rob's chest; and Sandshrew, looking left out was dragged close by one of Rob's free arms.

"It'd be a shame if we burned to death but I'm just so comfortable right now," Rob yawned as he felt the haze of sleep falling over him. Cyndaquil murmured something equally as sleepily but Rob wouldn't have understood it anyway. And with that the three fell asleep right as they were under the stars, their tent unoccupied a few yards away.

Kirlia had a much more difficult time finding sleep. The fire burned itself out, giving way to the impenetrable darkness. She tried to settle down into the soft grasses but after the journey through Union Cave, every noise sounded like Absol sneaking up on her. It was late by the time she drifted off to sleep, where Absol waited for her in that realm.

Rob woke slowly and unwillingly. The warmth from the early sun shinning down on him as well as the sleeping fire type still on his chest making him feel way too relaxed. He opened his eyes to be greeted by an unfamiliar pair inches from his own, instantly vanishing his waking calm. He gave a shout of surprise as he sat up quickly and all hell broke loose.

Pidgey squawked and took flight as the Cyndaquil, whose head he had perched on, tumbled into his trainer's lap as the human sat up. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew both woke up at the sudden disturbance but Kirlia had them both beat despite sleeping further away. Rob wasn't sure if she gotten up or merely teleported to a standing position, but a psybeam lanced from her outstretched arm to knock the invading Pidgey right out of the sky.

"What a shot," Rob muttered as he heard his other two pokemon noise similar sentiments of awe. They watched as the flying type crashed to the ground a ways off in the distance. He'd have to remember not to startle Kirlia in her sleep if he valued his well being.

"Kirlia that was... Kirlia?" She hadn't moved from where she had fired the shot but she had her free arm at her throat, breathing hard and eyes wide. "Kirlia are you okay? Kirlia!" His shout snapped her out of it and she whipped her head towards him. Rob cringed slightly, expecting a blast to be sent his way, but her haunted eyes merely narrowed at him. She seemed to calm herself down, outwardly at least and sat back down onto the grass, staring up at the sparse clouds overhead.

It didn't take long to break down the unused tent, and after making sure to clean up after their short stay, Rob had them back on the road, eating as they went.

"I just don't understand how you slept through it. He was sitting right on top of your head," Rob directed at Cyndaquil, disbelief plain on his face.

"Yeah and we were both on top of you," Cyndaquil muttered as Sandshrew snickered at his side. Kirlia had taken up her usual spot, walking a small distance behind the other three so they would let her be. She was still rattled from her dreams that night. She usually remembered her dreams vividly, and having spent the entire previous day in the darkness of that cave worrying about Absol...

Breathing steadily she fought to keep her anxiety under control. She hadn't even remembered attacking the Pidgey, her instincts taking over after being startled awake by the commotion. Rob's shout was the first thing she remembered after waking, her dreams replaying in her fear paralyzed mind in those brief seconds prior. She could still feel that blood red gaze watching hungrily.

It was a quiet morning as the group ahead of her chatted amongst themselves, but as the sun started to climb, more eyes seemed to watch them from the surrounding vegetation. The growing concentration of wild pokemon eventually culminated in a Bellsprout jumping out and blocking their path. Cyndaquil got ready but Rob stopped him.

"You've got the advantage in this one, I'm sure you'd have no trouble, how about we see what Sandshrew can do. He is at a disadvantage in this match up," Rob said and Sandshrew stepped up smiling.

"I was going to save this for our match but I don't think I'll need any surprises," Sandshrew boasted, him and Cyndaquil having become friendly rivals.

"All talk," Cyndaquil replied offhandedly, crossing his arms as he watched Sandshrew.

"All right, Sandshrew go!" Rob called out and the fight began. Vines burst from Bellsprout and shit directly towards Sandshrew. He was at both an offensive and defensive disadvantage. Bellsprout's grass attacks would hit hard and Sandshrew's own ground attacks would do little against the plant. Kirlia hadn't really seen him use any ground based attacks in his fight against Cyndaquil, preferring to used up close attacks like tackle and scratch. So as long as he could get in close he might not be that hindered.

Getting close would be the issue though, Bellsprout's vines giving him a much greater range. That was all negated however as Sandshrew jumped, launching himself in Bellsprout's direction, the leap having no chance of making it to his opponent, but as soon as he made contact with the ground again he disappeared into it.

Bellsprout froze as he tried to anticipate when and where the dig attack would come from. He didn't have long to wait though and was prepared for it. Sandshrew bust up from directly below Bellsprout only to be met by a pair of vines blocking his claws from their intended target. The counter attack from Bellsprout sent a vine crashing into the ground type's exposed belly. Sandshrew let out a loud grunt of pain as the attack sent him rolling across the ground but he didn't have long to recover, Bellsprout following up his attack with a jet of spores.

Sandshrew didn't know what the intended effect of the attack was but he had no intention of finding out as he escaped quickly underground. He was underground longer this time, giving the spores time to dissipate and putting his opponent on edge.

Kirlia watched as the Bellsprout prepared to use his vines to block the attack again, if Sandshrew didn't change it up this was going to be a very short fight. Bellsprout must have felt the earth move because he blocked, but the ground below him remained firm. Instead, the earth behind him exploded, Sandshrew leaping from the ground to rake his small but sharp claws along the Bellsprout's back.

Bellsprout twisted in pain, trying to bring his vines around to knock back his assailant, but with such close range Sandshrew easily avoided them. Knowing he had the advantage now, Sandshrew continued his assault, his claws making quick work of the wild Bellsprout.

"Great job Sandshrew!" Rob said congratulating his new pokemon as the group rejoined the victor.

"I would try not getting hit next time, though that was an impressive attack" Cyndaquil instigated, but the praise was heartfelt.

"Yeah yeah," Sandshrew replied, rubbing the welt that crossed his stomach as he walked back to them, unable to hide his grin from the praise showered upon him.

The journey continued like that for the rest of the day, more Bellsprout, Rattata and the occasional Mareep or Spearow. Rob tried to not use any type advantages that arose to give his pokemon a little bit of a challenge, and despite the occasional blow, they seemed to do pretty well. The intense training would help them grow quickly and the two never made the same mistake twice.

Kirlia was spared from fighting off the wild pokemon. It would be a trivial matter for her, being much more powerful than the locals, and even Rob had admitted that she was already tactically better at making calls in battle than himself. For the most part the three others left her alone, and she tried her best to enjoy the surroundings, trying to forget the nightmares from the night before. It almost worked, but by the time they halted for a short lunch and to let Sandshrew and Cyndaquil rest, clouds had covered most of the sky.

"It looks like it's going to rain tonight," Rob said, not looking too pleased about it. "We should hurry up and get as far as we can before we need to bunker down for the night." Cyndaquil and Sandshrew sighed in unison, they had been enjoying their temporary reprieve. Rob had quickened their pace and the group made good time, the wild pokemon seemingly well aware of the approaching weather and already seeking shelter, which allowed them to travel freely.

Once the wind started to pick up and the clouds blackened, Rob lead them off the road to begin setting up camp. He set his tent up under a wide, squat tree. It was short enough so it wouldn't risk being struck by lightning with all the others around but it gave enough coverage that the tent should have no problem keeping them dry.

Rob finished just as the first few drops of rain began to fall. The other three went inside but Kirlia remained where she was. The cool drops felt refreshing as they pelted against her skin, it was only the second time she could remember feeling rain. She had listened to it plenty of times from the confines of the basement, but the only time she'd ever been out in it was when it had started to rain during one of Wes' fights she'd been in.

The rain continued to pick up and it wasn't long before Kirlia was drenched from the increasing downfall. The refreshing quality soon turning into a frigid barrage. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, the rain running down her face. She could have put a barrier up to stop it but why bother at this point. She would stay there until the torrent washed everything away.

Rob finished pulling a few blankets out of his pack and spread one of them out to soften the ground a little. It wasn't ideal but the tent was large enough for them all to sleep without being too cramped and despite not having a fire it was cozy enough.

"Seems like we made it just in time," he said as the rain intensified its beating against the top of their shelter. Neither of his pokemon being fond of water quickly agreed.

Now all he had to worry about was how long Kirlia was going to stay out in it. In fact, she'd probably stay out there if he didn't call her in. "She'll be the death of me," Rob muttered and his other two pokemon stopped what they were doing to look up at him with concern. "It's a figure of speech guys, I'm not serious." _Probably, _thinking that last part to himself.

Moving to the entrance, he unzipped the tent flap and looked out into the darkening torrential rain. She was sitting on the ground outside the tree's protective shroud, huddled up on herself. "Kirlia!" he shouted out into the rain, hoping she was within earshot of him. _If I have to go out in that to get her... _"Kirlia come on in!"

"I'm fine out here" came her reply in a tone that made it surprising that the rain didn't freeze around her. Despite facing away from him and the pounding of the rain, her cold voice was clear in his mind, no need to shout like he had to.

"I'm not asking, come in out of the rain, it's freezing." He didn't want to order her around, but if she wouldn't be reasonable then he had no choice. Not answering, she stood up slowly and headed for the tent, looking more miserable than usual with her hair clinging wetly to her face. She had a hard time glaring at him as she made her way to the tent, having to constantly blink to keep the rain from her eyes.

Noticing her wet and shivering as she stepped through the opening of the tent, he draped one of the blankets over her. He couldn't not smile as he watched her struggle adorably with the oversized blanket to one of the corners of the tent. Managing to get the blanket around her, only her face was visible from within the folds, her damp hair still a mess across her face.

Rob watched his three pokemon, the first time that they'd been gathered in such close quarters. Kirlia brooding in the corner, Cyndaquil and Sandshrew roughhousing as much as they could in the confined space. While he would have preferred to have spent a little more time traveling than the weather allowed, it was nice to just relax in the company of his best friends, even if the only he could fully understand refused to speak with him.

Kirlia sat in one of the corners, trying to take up as little space as she could with the oversized blanket wrapped around her. She fought to not be drawn in by their happiness. Sandshrew was wrong, he was just willing to be a slave for the humans so he could escape whatever troubles haunted his past. She wouldn't allow herself to do the same.

"If you burn this tent down we're all sleeping out in that," she heard Rob threaten though he wore a smile and Cyndaquil only laughed. She drew the blanket closer around her, still trying to fight off the chill from her time in the rain, trying to hide deeper within its warmth.

After they had all eaten Kirlia had a hard time keeping her eyes open. Between the restless sleep she had gotten the night before and a full belly, she had to fight to stay awake. Abra had been the only one to show her compassion, to care for her, and the world had taken away the one who had loved her. Some corrupt human fake would never take his place.

Rob picked up on the mood that had fallen over the tent. Kirlia was curled up and facing the wall, but the occasional muffled sniffle gave her away. Sandshrew was also quiet, he sat staring off at nothing, his eyes looking inward as if deep in thought. Cyndaquil, while seemingly completely unaware, had settled down and took to laying warmly against Rob's chest.

It didn't take long for Kirlia's sniffles to turn to the steady breathing that indicated sleep and Cyndaquil also seemed to have passed out on top of him.

"Sandshrew, what were things like for you before you joined me?" Rob asked, turning his head to look at his newest pokemon. Rob knew he couldn't answer, not with words anyway. Sandshrew smiled though, eyes looking thankfully at Rob. "I'm glad you're here with us, sleep well," Rob finished, feeling as if he had understood how Sandshrew felt. At least a little.

"Shrew," the ground type responded softly, and the pair of them quickly joined their companions in slumber, the rain continuing to patter against the tent roof.

When morning had once again come around, the sky had gotten all of the inclement weather out of its system. With not a cloud above, the sun was allowed to beat down mercilessly on the earth below. Rob woke slowly, fighting the content of the heat that filled the tent. He prodded the sleeping Cyndaquil on his chest who woke much more pleased with the temperature.

Once Cyndaquil was off him he was able to get up and throw open the flap of the tent, letting the fresh air fill their enclosure, a gorgeous day outside. Sandshrew was beginning to stir with Rob and Cyndaquil moving around but there was little movement from the pile of blanket that was Kirlia. He smiled back at the glare he received from her when he woke her up; the fact that her irritability was at something normal, like being wakened from a comfortable sleep, rather than his mere presence was oddly comforting. That's what he was going to tell himself anyway.

He got them on the road quickly, once again eating on the move to try and recover some of the time they'd lost from the previous day's rain. He thought they were going to do well, but what he hadn't considered were the wild pokemon. They too seemed to be out in force and more than willing to challenge the travelers.

Rob was now using his type advantages to their fullest and even then it seemed like they'd barely finish moving away from one fight before they were confronted by yet another angry looking pokemon barring their path. By the time he decided to stop for lunch both Sandshrew and Cyndaquil were completely exhausted.

Kirlia watched the two other pokemon fall to the ground as soon as Rob let his pack down, both breathing heavy and rubbing a few minor injuries. "You guys must be starving after all that" Rob said, smiling at the exhausted duo as he prepared some food and brought it over to them. The pair were torn between not moving and the desire to eat.

Despite not having done any fighting, she too was hungry, and was also finding it hard to keep her usual defenses up. Cracks were beginning to form in the walls she had constructed. Rob brought a bowl of food over to where she was sitting a short distance away from the others and handed it to her with a placating smile. She couldn't even bring herself to glare, and even sent him a quiet "Thanks." He returned to where his other pokemon were now practically inhaling their food, and began his own meal.

Kirlia ate slowly, allowing herself to take some small pleasure from the warm sun against her skin. If only she had been able to enjoy this with Abra at her side, her faint smile quickly fading to melancholy. There were many things that they'd never get to share.

Having finished their own lunch, Sandshrew and Cyndaquil had beet chatting with each other, though she had been ignoring their conversation until she heard her name being called.

"Hey Kirlia," Sandshrew called to her. "I'd be eternally grateful if you maybe wanted to give us a reprieve for a bit, if you're feeling up to it of course. And Cyndaquil says you're an impressive sight when you battle." His voice was friendly and upbeat despite Rob using him to fend off wild pokemon all morning.

Cyndaquil thought he'd seen her battle? She hadn't done anything close since meeting Rob, not like what she'd done for Wes. And if they even suspected the massacre she'd caused they'd probably try and killer her as she slept. It was unfair however that she didn't fight, and she didn't want the other two to suffer because of her.

"Sure I guess," she replied to Sandshrew. Kirlia didn't sound happy, but it wasn't quite the hopeless voice he'd heard the night they'd spoke last.

"Thanks, we really owe you," he beamed at her and even Cyndaquil gave her a halfhearted smile of thanks once Sandshrew had told him. The two laying back on the grass, once again chatting with each other.

As much as Rob wanted to get back on the road, he figured Cyndaquil and Sandshrew deserved a bit of a rest. He couldn't help feeling proud of them, they shrugged off his offers to rest all morning and they had fought great, the both of them getting stronger quicker than he would have thought. He'd have to do something special for them when they reached Violet City.

"Master?" The voice surprised him, low and quiet in his mind. He looked over to where she sat, their eyes meeting briefly before she dropped her gaze. Not having the luxury of telepathic communication himself, he rose and made his way over to where she sat on the ground, placing some distance between them to not scare her off.

"You can just call me Rob," he said in his most inviting voice. "What's up?" She still wasn't looking at him, but it wasn't with the usual animosity or depression. She seemed uncertain of how to continue.

"I, I wanted to ask if I could help fend off some of the wild pokemon when we get going again, so the others can have a break." Her concern for the other two making him smile.

"Sure if you want. Is that what they were trying to put you up to?" he laughed. "It will probably be pretty trivial for you but if you want to show them how it's done for a bit I'm sure they'd appreciate it." He let the silence hang for a moment before continuing. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" This was the first time she'd ever initiated a conversation with him, hopefully he was starting to gain her trust.

"No," she replied, her voice neutral if a little distant. Rob considered for a moment, she seemed to be in one of the better moods he'd seen since capturing her and she _had _spoke to him first.

"Kirlia, what happened before I captured you?" and just like that Kirlia's defenses were back up, withdrawing in on herself again.

"Does it matter?" her voice was a mix of emotions, anger, sadness, fear.

"It's obviously tearing you apart, I don't know what happened, if your old trainer abandoned you, or even if he was the one who caused those injuries, it's over now and I promise that I'll never hurt you." He made his voice as gentle as he could, trying to get Kirlia to open up to him.

"And why do you even care?" the anger in her voice becoming stronger. There were tears glistening in her eyes now, her fists clenched. He had to fight off the urge to hug her to him, knowing it would only push her away even more at this point.

"You don't have to go through this alone. There are trainers who are cruel, but I will never be like them, you will always have someone who cares about you." He couldn't keep the tinge of anger from his voice at the last part.

That someone could cause so much pain to such an innocent creature roiled his stomach. The silence hung and when Rob felt like he wasn't going to get anything else from her, he returned to where the others were laying down, figuring it would be best to leave Kirlia alone for a while. It felt like the first conversation they'd had where she hadn't blown up at him or took off, he just hoped he was helping.

Kirlia couldn't stop a few of the tears from falling as Rob stood up and left her. She hadn't felt even the slightest hint of deception or insincerity in his words. And the anger she felt when he mentioned her previous trainer or those who would be cruel to her. He had to be tricking her somehow, he had to be.

Her fists shook at her sides, she was sick of it. Sick of how useless she was, sick of the constant confusion, not knowing what to do or what to do or think, even about her own feelings. Why, just once, couldn't something go right in her life?

Since Kirlia had volunteered to give the other two a break he decided that it was about time to get back on the road. While they weren't exactly bouncing with energy, the break coupled with a large lunch seemed to have restored a good deal of their strength.

Kirlia led the group as they continued down the path of Route 32. Rob never really felt like he got a good reading on her emotions and this time was no different. She hadn't spoken any more to him since their conversation, and when he called for their continue she just automatically stepped out in front and started walking down the path.

He couldn't help but think that it was the real Kirlia he was seeing as she walked briskly ahead of them. When she was in camp or walking behind them she always seemed to hide and make herself appear smaller, trying to vanish into the background. The Kirlia who was in front of them now though had a cool grace about her, as though she were willing her surroundings to accept her through mere presence. Confident, powerful, he hoped that their conversation was a step in the right direction.

Thoughts of Union Cave crossed Rob's mind as they walked, how Kirlia had refused to take action on her own, but in the mood she seemed to be in now; he was ready to shout an order but he didn't think it would be needed.

A Spearow burst out of one of the nearby trees and Kirlia affirmed that he wouldn't need to do anything. Rob hadn't even decided whether the bird was planning to attack them or was just flying by as a psybeam shot from Kirlia's hand, launching the Spearow back into the tree before it tumbled to the ground. She hadn't even stopped walking to fire the attack.

Kirlia let her anger and frustration fuel her as she walked down the road. It was the first time since being captured by Rob that she let anything but her sadness and self pity guide her. She couldn't take it anymore, her own worthlessness making her sick, it was an insult to Abra for his sacrifice to allow such a pathetic creature to live.

The Spearow that had jumped out at her had barely been worth the notice to get rid of, but she could still hone her abilities. If Rob was planning on using her then she could use him right back, she would get stronger.

The number of wild pokemon seemed to have died down a little from the morning but it was still fairly active, and soon a Mareep was trying to stare down Kirlia on the path. She halted, meeting her opponent's gaze. She wouldn't get stronger by just sweeping these weak pokemon out of the way, she had to push herself without killing them. Abra had told her that it was possible to carry momentum through a teleport, it was time to find out if she could do it.

Charging a psybeam in her hand, she jumped into the air and disappeared with a ripple. Her reappearance was much more disorienting than she had expected and to both her and Mareep's surprise, they collided. More out of sheer luck than anything else Kirlia grasped Mareep's forehead and released her attack. Physical contact made the transfer of psychic energy much easier and the close quarters blast sent Mareep tumbling away from Kirlia, unconscious.

A jolt coursed through her as she had made contact with the Mareep and she crashed painfully to the ground. It had felt like a jolt of psychic energy yet more painful and causing her muscles to seize up. Her mind raced, panic beginning to fill her; she couldn't move and she had a hard time breathing. Numbness spread through her as the sounds of her companions running reached her through the ground her face was now pressed into.

She felt herself being rolled onto her back and saw Rob smiling down at her. "Are you okay?" She knew it, he was enjoying seeing her suffering and helpless.

"I-I can't move," her body was still numb, though she could breath a little easier now that she wasn't facing the ground. Rob's smile slipped a little as he heard the fear in her voice.

"Haven't you fought electric types before? Mareep paralyzed you when you touched her, I figured you would have stuck to ranged attacks. Don't worry though, it should wear off soon." He was right, feeling was beginning to return to her limbs already and she could move her fingers slightly. Her own stupidity astounded her again.

She had been so confident that nothing she'd find here could harm her that she hadn't even thought about how to engage them. Wes had never used her against an electric type, reserving her for when it would give him an advantage such as against poison or fighting types, or when her range would be useful.

"No, I haven't," the words practically growled in Rob's mind. He gave her a searching look, no doubt he probably thought he knew what her past had been like. She pulled away from him and struggled to her feet, the paralyzing effects of Mareep's attack almost completely worn off.

"You sure you're okay? Cyndaquil and Sandshrew can take over if you want a break."

"I'm fine," the heat in her tone making Rob figure he might as well leave her be for the time as she stalked on down the path, hopefully it was just her pride hurt more than anything else. Motioning to his other pokemon they once again followed Kirlia along Route 32.

At the rate they were going, they should reach Violet City by about noon the following day. While they hadn't crossed paths with anyone since leaving Azalea, as they came closer to Violet City they started to see a few trainers around. Azalea wasn't exactly the most conveniently placed town but Rob had expected to see more people before now. He guessed that few who didn't live in Azalea went there unless they needed the badge from Bugsy.

He had seen a few people off the road either training their pokemon or just enjoying the day, but only passed one other on the path itself. He had waved to the man but the large Gliscor that walked beside him looked like much more than even his Kirlia could have handled. He was excited for his first trainer battle though, hopefully he could find one as they got closer to the city.

Since the incident with Mareep, Kirlia had been fighting flawlessly, perhaps even being a little over zealous with her attacks. Rob didn't think that any of the wild pokemon would suffer any lasting harm but they'd probably wake up with a nasty head ache. He decided not to interrupt her and let her blow off some steam. After a couple hours though she seemed to be slowing down, the earlier grace becoming less fluid and occasionally rubbing her head after dispatching a pokemon.

She hadn't stopped showing off though, despite holding back on the power of the actual blows, her attacks seemed to be tailored for much stronger opponents. Her teleports and barriers making sure that she controlled the field.

"You guys ready to get back in the action?" Rob asked Cyndaquil and Sandshrew after Kirlia finished off another wild pokemon. They had both been watching Kirlia in awe as she fought, probably a lot similar to how he'd been. They both nodded eagerly, the break from Kirlia allowing them a well deserved rest. He called Kirlia back and had Cyndaquil and Sandshrew lead on.

"That was incredible, I've never seen anyone fight like you before," Rob said, trying to get her to cheer up a little. He did mean it though, she was impressive even in the one sided fights, better than even the matches that would be shown on TV.

Kirlia didn't respond to his praise though and as they started walking again, she fell into her usual spot, following a little behind. After being cooped up with nothing to take her mind off her problems, the exercise had felt good. A slight calm settled over her, the anger and frustration had burnt itself out.

Her mind ached from using so much psychic energy, the pain helping to keep her mind off the other thoughts that had been swirling around in her head the past few days. Though her opponents had been weak, she had still been able to practice some of her other techniques, using barriers and teleports in conjunction with her attacks. Doing that much over such a long period of time though had worn her out.

None of the pokemon had been a match for her, but she wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating a pokemon like that Mareep again. Despite having fought for Wes all that time, it was apparent now that she knew almost nothing about other pokemon and how they fought. She wished she didn't have to know.

Cyndaquil and Sandshrew were kept relatively busy with the wild encounters though as the sun started to sink towards the horizon, the rough countryside they'd been traveling through seemed to be thinning out, Violet City wouldn't be too far off now.

Setting up camp was a simple affair that night. Rob got everything set up and let his three pokemon rest as they'd been fighting all day. He had only watched and occasionally gave commands. Their performance and dedication had impressed him all day, none of them holding anything back and even Kirlia had asked to help out. It had been a good day, and he felt all of his pokemon were quite a bit stronger than they had started out.

Once he had a fire going, with the help of Cyndaquil, they were all sitting around it, Kirlia on the opposite side as usual. Rob decided to forgo putting up the tent with the night being so warm and not a cloud in the sky. And with the look of his pokemon, they'd probably all be asleep by the time he got it constructed.

Cyndaquil and Sandshrew were both quick to fall asleep on the blanket Rob had laid out for the three of them. Sandshrew spread eagle face down, while Cyndaquil had decided to curl up with his back against Rob's leg.

It took Rob much longer than the others to fall asleep however and he spent his time gazing into the slowly dwindling flames of their camp fire. As it burnt down to nothing but embers, he could finally see the sleeping form of his third pokemon, curled up on the ground across from him.

She seemed so small and innocent as she slumbered, all the ferocity and confidence that she seemed to embody when she fought now gone. Rob couldn't stop the anger that he felt rise like bile in his stomach at the thought of what that scum who had previously been her trainer had done to her.

Rob didn't know the specifics, or even a vague idea what happened really, but seeing how much she suffered he knew that if he ever met the person he'd be hard pressed not to kill them on sight. But then again, more violence wouldn't help Kirlia feel any better, he guessed the best he could do for her was to just continue to try and be there for her. Maybe someday she'd be comfortable enough with him to tell her story.

Without disturbing Cyndaquil he got up and laid a blanket over his sleeping psychic type before returning to where Cyndaquil rested to get some sleep himself. His thoughts of his pokemon as he drifted off to a calm sleep beneath the stars.

Kirlia woke wrapped in a blanket that hadn't been there when she had fallen asleep, not doubt Rob's doing. She didn't want to feel grateful but the soothing warmth wrapping her made her sink even farther into the encompassing folds. Before long though Rob was waking them all up and cleaning their campsite.

Kirlia struggled with the blanket to try and fold it back into a square like Rob did but standing only two feet tall, the blanket was much too big for her to get under control.

"Need a hand with that?" Rob's voice came from behind as she wrestled with the blanket. He smiled down, trying to hide a laugh at watching her efforts.

"Thanks," Kirlia replied quietly as Rob took over the task and quickly got everything put back in his pack. The party continued down the path, and despite the early hour there were already people starting to appear on the road.

A majority of them were trainers battling their pokemon against the wild inhabitants of Route 32 and a few of them even had their own pokemon sparing with each other. "That reminds me, I haven't let you two duke it out to see who's the second strongest of our little group," Rob said teasingly to the two pokemon who were at either side of him.

The two looked up at him and despite the fact that he couldn't understand the question they both threw at him, he seemed to know what those looks meant. "That is unless one of you wants to try and dethrone Kirlia," a grin wide across his face. Kirlia was less amused with his levity over having them fight one another, but at the same time a primal urge rose in her; her natural competitiveness telling her that she'd defend that title no matter how ridiculous it was.

After a quick glance at Kirlia who was walking behind them, they returned to squabble and boast good-naturedly over who was the second strongest. Rob chuckled at his riled up pokemon as they continued to walk down the path. A lighthearted mood settled over them with their destination quickly approaching after days of traveling.

The surrounding trees completely gave out to rolling grass as even the number of wild pokemon dwindled to nothing, Violet City looming in the distance. While the wilderness was left behind, humans and their pokemon now dotted their surroundings, some even passing them on the road. And as they came closer to the edge where the Violet City outskirts started, one of them waved to Rob and called over to him.

"Hey, you look like a trainer, care for a battle?" The man who spoke was around the same age as Rob and also had three pokeballs at his waist. He didn't look like he was geared for traveling and was probably just from the city out looking for some excitement.

"Ya, sure thing, I've been waiting for a battle all day," Rob called back as the two walked towards each other.

"Great, one on one, best two of three sound good?"

"Fine with me," Rob said, the two of them moving away so their pokemon had room to battle.

"Good, I'll choose first than, Sentret go!" the trainer yelled, releasing his first pokemon in a flash of light. Rob sent in Cyndaquil, and with that, the battle began.

It was unlike any of the other fights Kirlia had been involved in. The two pokemon still fought, throwing attacks back and forth but it seemed much more civilized somehow. Neither of the combatants looked like they were trying to kill or maim with their attacks, their blows trying to force the opponent to yield. Even the trainers who were inexpertly calling out instructions were different.

From the trainers Kirlia couldn't feel any of the normal emotions of battling. Anger, envy, greed, none of these were present, unlike that of the crowds that gathered for Wes' tournaments. What was there was odd. There was determination and the desire to win, but there was also something holding those emotions in check. Concern, for their pokemon perhaps? Though that didn't make any sense. After reading the two she would have thought the two trainers friends had she not know they'd just met.

"Haha! Great job Cyndaquil, return." Rob's voice came, snapping her attention back to the battle. Cyndaquil's fire attacks proving too much for the opposing Sentret, his trainer returning him to its pokeball. "You're up next Sandshrew." The other trainer's face broke into a smile.

"You won't find my next pokemon to be such an easy victory, Finneon go!" and with a whip of his arm, a pokeball flew into the air, releasing the water pokemon.

"This isn't good Sandshrew." Rob said, looking down at his next fighter. "You're at quite a type disadvantage, but we're already one win up and we have Kirlia as backup, just do your best okay?"

"Got it," the ground type replied with determination and walked out onto the field. As soon as the two were ready and their trainers had stepped back, rain began to fall over the combatants. Kirlia watched as the match quickly turned even further away from Sandshrew's favor.

The rain dance attack further increasing the power of Finneon's water attacks against the already susceptible ground type. Sandshrew tried to avoid the onslaught of attacks by dodging and trying to surprise his opponent with dig, but after a couple hits from his opponent's water gun, Rob was forced to recall him.

Sandshrew fell onto his back, panting as he lay next to where Rob had been giving commands, still soaked from the fight. Cyndaquil had come over to gently breath tiny flames on his fallen companion, trying to dry him off a little. "Just don't cook me," Sandshrew told him in an exhausted voice, Cyndaquil only grinning wickedly.

"Alright Kirlia, you're a lot stronger than the others so unless he pulls a surprise out as his last pokemon, try to go easy on him."

"As you wish-" but she was cut off by the other trainer's shout.

"Abra go!"


	5. Tip of the Iceberg

Zoroark stared at the now empty house for the second day. Absol had lead them to the small building on the edge of the forest, convinced that this was where Kirlia had ended up. The trail had ended here, though Absol said that her scent had mingled with another human's and was carried off the premise. The ensuing rainfall however had destroyed any other trace they could follow.

It was all Zoroark could do to stop Absol from charging into the house and tearing anyone inside to pieces, even though they both knew that Kirlia was no longer there. "They would come back when they heard what I did" Absol snarled, pacing back and forth menacingly. Zoroark sighed.

"They would come back prepared for us, there would be no way Kirlia would come back alone. We're not invincible." It was as if they hadn't had the same conversation numerous times already.

"And how do you know they'll ever come back if we don't do something." Her scythe like tail whipping back and forth violently.

"We have no reason to think they wont, humans tend not to stay long from their houses, I'm willing to wait as long as I need to." It was hard to contain his annoyance with the unstable pokemon but he couldn't risk riling her up into a frenzy, he had no idea what she'd do. "Kirlia will be back here, and when she shows up then we can _plan _a course of action from there, we can't afford to just charge in and screw this up. We may only have one chance."

The fury that had clouded his mind after the first days had abated for the most part. He was dispassionate about the task at hand, it was just something that he must do; he would not let anything interfere with his success. Not even Absol.

Kirlia froze as her opponent was deposited on the field in a flash of red, the small fox like pokemon appearing on the damp grass. All of the memories and emotions Kirlia had been trying to keep at bay for the past few days broke free in that moment as Abra materialized before her. Rob was saying something but his words didn't register, the only thing she saw was the pokemon in front of her.

Memory overwhelmed her, fear, anger, sorrow all mixing together in a chaotic tempest. She walked slowly onto the field, her vision swimming, thoughts in disarray. Had it been a dream and she was waking up in the basement? Abra's form lit up with psychic energy and released it at her.

Kirlia took the blast full on, not even trying to dodge it. She kept walking. Another, and yet another psychic attack striking her from the only one who had ever loved her. "Why?" she choked out. The psychic attacks continuing as she walked shakily towards him. "You didn't have to die." Another hit. "You left me all alone, to this." The next strike knocking her to her knees.

She knew that other things were going on around her, but they were irrelevant, to her, there was nothing but silence and the Abra in front of her. "Why!" she shouted at Abra, still not getting a response from him. And for the second time, she lost control.

Anger raged through her. All of the hatred, pain and torment she had bottled up, Abra's decision to leave her alone, the cruelty Wes and his pokemon had shown her, the unfairness in the world, all of it bubbled up from the depths of her soul and exploded outward.

"You betrayed me!" she screamed. "We were going to escape together, we were going to be free together!"

Kirlia could feel power course into her, her mind expanding to grasp the true power she was capable of wielding. Energy ripped through her body, becoming a swirling vortex of destructive psychokinetic power. The very air around her distorting into a sickening blur of false reality and twisted images. Kirlia's eyes burst to life, filled with a brilliant blue fire as she lifted the now startled looking Abra off the ground.

"We could have been happy!" her shout punctuated by slamming Abra into the ground. "We could have escaped all of this!" She picked him up and slammed him into the ground again, the air whipping around them as if in a storm. "Answer me! Say something!" She sent the energy coursing into her arm, a distorted blue and purple vortex whirling around as she charged a devastating attack.

She continued her advance, Abra on the ground in a daze, struggling with an injured arm to back away from her. "You threw it all away," she said, standing over the terrified pokemon. She leveled her arm, a miasma of psychic energy, at Abra's face and released it.

"Kirlia stop!" a familiar voice shouted, why would she know a human's voice besides Wes?

Rob had no idea what was going on or what would happen when he touched Kirlia. His attempts to tell her to stop and even return her to her pokeball had been ineffective, the red beam somehow being knocked away by the nauseating swirl of energy that encompassed her. She had been shouting as if she knew the other trainer's Abra, and for some reason hadn't limited her telepathy, broadcasting it to all of them.

All he knew was that if he didn't get her to stop, Kirlia was going to seriously injure her opponent. Or kill the pokemon in front of her... With no other options left to him, he fell into a dead sprint at his pokemon who had somehow wrapped herself in incredible amounts of psycokinetic power. The thought of touching that maelstrom of energy wasn't comforting, but he wasn't going to just sit back and watch.

He shouted at her, trying one last time to get her to stop and grabbed her shoulder. Rob had never been touched by psychic energy before, and plunging his arm into the field around her lit up every nerve in his arm. It was an odd sensation, but nothing to prepare him for when he spun her around.

Energy surged through his body and mind as his skin touched hers, entirely overwhelming his senses for a moment, his body freezing up. Behind her he could see that the attack he had tried to prevent missed its intended target, slamming into the ground a foot away. The tall grass crushed int a circle from the impact, perfectly flat against the earth.

Rob shook off the feeling as quickly as he could, his thoughts feeling scrambled, making it hard to concentrate. He was staring at Kirlia who was now shaking in his grasp, his hands on her shoulders. "Kirlia are you okay? What just happened?" The energy she had controlled had vanished at his touch, the blue fire in her eyes dieing out as she returned to her normal state.

"I don't know" her voice scared, and trembling just as much as her body.

"What did you do?"

"I don't know" she replied again, sounding as if she was going to break into tears at any moment. Movement around them jarred his mind back to a semblance of coherency and he looked around. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew were still standing where they had been, looking stricken, the other trainer had meanwhile ran to his downed Abra.

"It's okay, just try and calm down, I'll be right back." She must have been pretty shaken up about it as she didn't even remember to be hostile towards him, he gave her hair a quick stroke and walked towards the other trainer and his pokemon. He hoped for everyone's sake that it was nothing serious. "Is he okay?" Rob asked as he approached them, Abra already seeming to come to.

"I think he should be once I get him to a pokemon center but... What just happened?" Rob didn't know if the other trainer was angry or just as confused as he was himself. Rob didn't really know what to tell him, he was in just as much shock as the man who was returning Abra to its pokeball.

"I uh, well, I just caught her the other day and I had no idea she was that strong, I guess I just let it get out of hand. I'm really sorry about this, I hope that Abra is okay." He was subjected to a searching look from the other trainer, and now that he'd made sure his Abra wasn't in critical condition, he seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Right, well, it was a good fight, I have to go get my Abra to the pokemon center, I'll see you around." The man didn't sound too sincere as he ran off down the path towards Violet City, away from where they had just been battling. Rob sighed, his first victory, although it didn't quite feel like it. Life had been much simpler before he'd started out as a trainer he thought reminiscently as he walked back towards Kirlia, not that he'd change a thing.

Rob returned to Kirlia, crouching down in front of her to even out their height difference a little. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. She hadn't moved at all since he left and still trembled slightly. Wide eyes rose to meet his own, looking into him searching for answers.

"What did I do?" the sound a whisper through his mind, desperate and fearful. He wished he had asked the question first, he had no what to say. He couldn't just stay there though, with those eyes searching pleadingly for answers he didn't have.

"Would you walk with me for a bit?" Rob asked standing, hoping that moving around would give him a moment to think. He didn't have the faintest idea of what she had just done, let alone how to comfort the small psychic type. Kirlia didn't reply but followed close by his side as he set a slow pace towards Violet City, walking along the grassy field instead of returning to the path.

Rob motioned for his other two pokemon to follow as he and Kirlia began walking. Cyndaquil made as if to run to them but Sandshrew grabbed his arm, shaking his head for which Rob was grateful. They followed at a small distance, giving Rob and Kirlia a little space for their talk. Kirlia remained quiet so Rob decided to break the silence. "Has that ever happened before?"

He tried his best to make it sound casual, though he didn't know how well his efforts worked. "Once, sort of," her voice came through his mind a short time later, terror still very much present. It was distant but not in the defensive manner, more like she was lost in thoughts of something else.

"And Abra," he hesitated a moment, any mention of her past before made her withdraw completely but after what had just happened. "Did you know one, before we met?"

"We were, he was my... friend." There was nothing but sadness in her voice now, her fists clenched by her sides but she kept pace with him, feet dragging through the tall grasses. Rob realized even in her forthcoming mood getting answers from her wouldn't be easy, but his thoughts were interrupted as Kirlia's voice entered his mind again. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Rob had no idea what was considered normal for psychic types, but gazing into those large red eyes, desperately looking to him for reassurance, he couldn't give her nothing.

"Of course not," he told her with as much confidence as he could put into his words.

"None of the other psychics ever did anything like that, and the last time..." She trailed off, her voice sounding tormented by her memories. He didn't know exactly what she meant by that, but he didn't press her further, noticing the tears that were slowly running across her white skin.

"You have more power than any other pokemon I've seen." And sure he had just started out a few days ago, but if it helped her feel any better than he'd use it. "I'm sure it's hard to control, but I'll help in any way that I can, if you let me." He reached down to stroke her hair, and for the first time since they met, she didn't flinch away from his touch.

It was a subdued group that finally wandered into Violet City. "We've made it, welcome to Violet City." Rob announced in as cheery a voice he could manage as they walked into the busy downtown section. "Now let's find the pokemon center." The four of them made their way down the crowded streets towards the large red and white building.

Rob had been to Violet City a handful of times with his parents, the bustle and crowds a stark contrast to his home town. He had always enjoyed himself here, and now he had the freedom to do as he wished with his pokemon along for the adventure. The smile that crossed his face couldn't be helped.

After a quick glance around the crowded atrium, Rob couldn't help but feel a little relieved at not finding the trainer he had fought earlier. A nurse greeted him cheerily as he approached the counter. "Hi, can I get a room for the night?"

"Sure thing," she said smilingly. "I"ll just need to see your trainer ID." After handing over his information and signing for the room, the nurse gave him a room key and they headed down the hall. Rob opened the door to the small but pleasant room and dropped his pack heavily to the floor. Cyndaquil raced into the room and immediately jumped up on the bed as Sandshrew inspected their accommodations curiously.

Once Rob had gotten his stuff settled into the room, he was ready to go back out into the city, they still had a good amount of the day to enjoy. "You guys want to go out an grab something to eat?" Cyndaquil looked up eagerly from the bed and Sandshrew poked his head out from the closet he was examining. Kirlia was the only one who didn't look enthusiastic over the idea.

"Can I just stay here?" She was quiet but her voice was more tired than anything else that he could make out.

"Are you sure? If you haven't seen the city it's pretty cool." He felt a little guilty just leaving here there in the room alone, especially after what had just happened, but wouldn't force her to go with them.

"I'm just, tired." She said finally and climbed up into the large chair in the corner of the room.

"Alright then, there's food in my pack if you're hungry, and if you aren't feeling good the people here can make sure you're all right. You can trust them."

"Sure." Despite being a little more agreeable she was still clearly not fond of them. He sighed as he put her pokeball into the room's safe and grabbed some money from his pack. He considered ruffling her hair on the way out but decided to not push his luck, and with one last glance into the room, the three headed out into Violet City.

Kirlia hadn't really wanted to stay in the room, the city had looked incredible when they had made their way to the pokemon center, but the exhaustion she had been hiding from the fight had come crashing down on her as she had entered the room. She had no idea where that power came from or why she could use it, or why every time she did she lost control.

She had tried to replicate some of the things she had done while under its influence as they walked through the city. She was sure she'd used the ability psychic to lift Abra, but during the event it was as if she had been watching someone else controlling her body, and she couldn't get it to work now. Curling up on the chair she tried to think, but fatigue clouded her mind, and sleep came quickly to her.

Once they were outside, Rob couldn't help but feel better. With so many buildings and people all packed into such a small area there were a ton of things to see. He looked down at his pokemon to see them trying to keep an eye on everything at the same time. He chuckled but his face probably held a similar look. Picking a street at random he started off down it with his pokemon in tow.

They walked around for a while with no destination in mind, just exploring the streets and watching all the other people go about their business. Through complete chance they came across Violet Gym, and Rob decided that he might as well go in and schedule a match with the leader.

"Here to schedule a challenge?" The woman at the desk asked as though being inconvenienced before Rob had even made it to the counter.

"Uh, yeah. What's the earliest that's available?" The woman sighed as she looked up something on her computer screen.

"Morning after next," still not looking up at him.

"okay, sounds good." He would have preferred to get it out of the way sooner but the extra time would allow them to do a little training outside town, as well as enjoying their short stay in the city.

"ID," the lady said again in her bored voice, extending a hand to take his ID from him. She entered his information into the computer and Rob headed out of the gym. He was pretty sure she had never even looked at him through the entire exchange. He hoped Falkner was at least a little more lively. He didn't let the less than friendly woman bring his spirits down though, and quickly forgot about her as they continued down the street.

A little further down he noticed the pokemart, and remembering their harrowing trek through Union Cave, there was one thing he needed to get for their return trip. The store was rather busy compared to the one in Azalea Town but it still didn't take long for him to make his purchase. He slipped the HM into his pocket, he could use it later, but they weren't going to have to make the return journey through the cave blind.

After wandering around a bit longer, Rob lead them into a restaurant that had a sign in front saying it allowed pokemon in. The place wasn't big and it was practically empty when they went in. A waitress took their order for him and the three of them relaxed in their seats. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew began chatting amiably, but as usual their words eluded him.

"I hope the food here is good, I'm starving," Cyndaquil said, looking hungrily towards where the human Rob had given their order to had disappeared.

"When has the quality of food ever hindered you," Sandshrew replied, waiting much more patiently than his friend. Cyndaquil gave him a "real funny" kind of look before resuming his inspection of their surroundings. "Do you think we should talk to Kirlia?" The question was kind of out of the blue, but he felt bad for her being left at the pokemon center. Cyndaquil sighed.

"Why, because that strategy has been working so well for Rob?" Sandshrew knew that Cyndaquil didn't really like their other traveling partner, but he wanted to at least try.

"You know I heard she saved you In Union Cave, twice."

"Rob talks too much," Cyndaquil muttered, but a moment later the waitress had come back with their food and Cyndaquil had completely forgotten about their conversation. Sandshrew chuckled at his quicksilver friend but joined in as their food was laid out before them.

It was late by the time the three of them made it back to the pokemon center. Rob lead his weary pokemon down the hall to where their room was; and after the large meal and less than direct route back, he himself was all set to go to bed.

He opened the door quietly not wanting to startle Kirlia, but she was fast asleep on the plush chair that sat in the corner of the room, sleeping peacefully. He smiled at her as he entered and placed a box of food he'd gotten to go for her on the table next to where she slept. He then headed into the bathroom to quickly get washed up. When he was finished he came back out into the room and shook his head at his other two pokemon.

"If you think I'm sleeping on the floor you've got another thing coming," he said to them as he marveled at how much space two small pokemon could take up. Sandshrew made room for him without protest and a small smile. Cyndaquil on the other hand got himself picked up and placed on Rob's chest as he laid down. "Always being difficult," Rob sighed as he lay back, the warmth from his pokemon relaxing him quickly to sleep as Cyndaquil wearily laughed into his chest.

The sun was barely cresting the horizon as Kirlia woke in the morning. It had been a much needed slumber and she felt much better, if not any clearer on what had happened. She'd have never though of missing anything about being locked in that basement, but as horrid as it may have been, things had been simple.

It was as if a calm had come over her though, and despite being no closer to understanding the strange power that she seemed to posses, her mind was slightly at ease for a change. She glanced over at the other three, asleep on the small bed, and then to the window where the sun was painting the sky crimson. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before.

She thought about Rob's pack, but the mere thought of going through his things frightened her, she could just wait anyway. There was however, a small white box that had been placed near her that hadn't been there the night before. On closer inspection she noticed a crudely drawn Kirlia on the top of the container, a small smile unconsciously forming on her lips. It was just an outline, drawn in black, but she thought it was cute none the less. Rob wouldn't have done it would he?

She couldn't image that the box wasn't meant for her though and opened it gently. Inside there were two cylindrical items, accompanied by a smell that she imagined meant they were supposed to be eaten. They were incredible, and Kirlia finished the meal quickly. She had no idea where humans got their food, but it was so much better than what pokemon were given.

She couldn't even find it in herself to be mad at Rob, or care whether it was some kind of trick. It was delicious. There was nothing else to do as the others slept so she created a barrier at the windowsill, just large enough for her to sit on, and watched the sun rise around the surrounding buildings. The sun was completely up by the time Rob started to stir and Kirlia had been watching the growing number of people that began to occupy the streets.

Rob took his time opening his eyes. He was getting used to waking up with a warm lump breathing gently against his chest, it was a nice feeling. Kirlia's shadow stretched across the room as he glanced over to where she watched the outside intently. He scratched Cyndaquil behind the ears as he spoke.

"If you wanted to see the city you should have come with us last night," he said, Kirlia's head snapping to look at him. She dropped her gaze after a moment though. For a psychic type she sure wasn't hard to get the drop on.

"I, was tired," her telepathic voice mumbled into his mind.

"Feeling better now?"

"Yeah..." her voice trailing off as she went back to looking out the window. Cyndaquil was sleepily trying to swat away Rob's hand in an effort to get a little more time to sleep.

"Oh get up will you?" Rob said as he lifted Cyndaquil off of him. "Let's not make this a regular thing," he muttered as Cyndaquil wriggled back into the sheets and murmured something happily at him. "Sandshrew, if he's not up by the time I come back in here, feel free to start your sparring early," Rob said through a yawn as he entered the bathroom to get washed up.

"Shrew!" he heard his other pokemon reply. It didn't take him long but Cyndaquil was awake and his usual energetic self by the time he finished getting cleaned up. Sandshrew and Cyndaquil were chatting about who knows what, and Kirlia was still at the windowsill, whether to avoid them or if she actually found it interesting, he had no idea.

After a quick meal in their room, the four of them headed out into Violet City. "Sorry for the rushed morning, but if we get all our training out of the way early we can take it easy this evening. I'll make up for breakfast then." Rob said to his three pokemon as they walked through Violet City. The streets were busy for the time of morning, bustling with humans and pokemon alike.

The sky was clear blue as the group made their way towards the outskirts of the city and back towards Route 32. Rob didn't really think his pokemon needed any more training for the gym fight, but he wasn't about to just waste an entire day waiting around. He was fairly confident he could defeat Falkner had the gym match been today, but a little extra practice couldn't hurt.

It wasn't long before they were away from other people out in the pleasant meadows that surrounded the outskirts of Violet City. Rob found a nice tree to sit against and keep him out of the blazing sun overhead.

"Alright you two," Rob said to Cyndaquil and Sandshrew, "try not to kill each other, you're just practicing for our first big fight tomorrow." Rob didn't really give them any direction as he took a seat, resting against the large tree he had picked. He wanted to see what they'd do on their own for a bit. "Sorry I don't really have anything to do for you Kirlia, but you're already much stronger than both of them and there's not really any wild pokemon around." Kirlia was sitting in the sun outside of the shade of the tree, though it wasn't as far away from them as she normally would have chosen to be.

"It's fine," her reply came with not even a trace of its normal hostility. Not really friendly either, but he'd take what he could get.

Kirlia watched as Rob's two other pokemon began to fight each other, if it could really be called fighting. It had none of the same look or feel to even resemble Wes' matches, and even her sessions with Abra made the current showing look like play. Cyndaquil or Sandshrew would make an occasional taunt or boast but neither of them were pressing their attacks to an even marginal degree, and most of the attacks were dodged anyway.

Sure Rob had told them to take it easy, but if they were in an actual fight they would get wiped out immediately, and then something she hadn't thought about came to her about their upcoming fight. If Rob did end up losing to this gym leader, which of them would he use for his half of the bet. She quickly found herself becoming more apprehensive about the match. How strong was this opponent, Rob mentioned he would be using flying type pokemon but which kind, how strong were they?

It was a conflicting feeling, she didn't trust Rob but he still hadn't hurt her and even showed her the occasional kindness. This Falkner on the other hand she knew nothing about, what if he was even worse than Wes? She had to win tomorrow. The others might treat this like a game, but she would crush her opponents, she wasn't going back.

Rob watched as his two pokemon fought back and forth. They were more or less just feeling each other out, though they did have a couple of good bouts. It was no impressive training strategy, his pokemon were just as new to this as he was, but he figured if he could at least get them comfortable with using the attacks they did know then they could work on something more advanced later. Maybe he could get Kirlia to help him come up with something. An Idea struck him.

He looked over at her, the sun beaming on her green hair, her crimson eyes seeming to stare into the distance beyond his sparring pokemon. He couldn't tell exactly, but she seemed tense for some reason.

"Hey Kirlia? Did, I mean, before..." He hesitated for a second. For some reason every time he went to talk with her his brain deemed it unnecessary to think before letting words exit his mouth. Bringing up her past had worked exactly zero of the times he'd tried before, but he'd already opened his mouth, he had to say something.

Kirlia's eyes bored into Rob, trying to read him. She could feel the hesitation that stopped him from continuing, tinged with the slightest bit of nervousness. She didn't know why he was feeling uneasy, other than maybe because she almost bit his head off when he tried to pry into her past, though why he would care she had no idea.

"Before you caught me?" Kirlia finished for him, her telepathic voice calm but guarded.

"Uh, yeah, did you ever fight any gym battles?" He was actually a little stunned, he had expected a much different reaction. She didn't answer him immediately though, instead turning her gaze to the ground, resting her chin on her knees.

"No." Her reply eventually came, still defensive but softer somehow.

"Oh. You're a very good battler though, did you fight trainers often then?" Rob couldn't imagine her expertise had come from just being sent against wild pokemon.

"I guess so."

"Did you travel much?"

"No, my previous owner ran the tournaments." He gave her an interested look. There were few tournaments that weren't very large events, almost all of them televised. And there had been none going on around Azalea town when Kirlia had appeared to him, unless, but it couldn't have been...

"Kirlia, you weren't used in an illegal gambling ring were you?" She didn't answer, but the look that was on her face made him think he was more or less correct. "I'm sorry," he said gently to her.

"It doesn't matter," she said, her voice harsh as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

Unsanctioned matches. They were known for their brutality and cruelty to the pokemon used in the fights. They didn't follow the rules that were enforced by the Pokemon League, and often attracted an unsavory sort of people. The League broke up betting rings every now and then, and it always made the news. The penalties for being involved in such activities were pretty harsh.

Rob's fists clenched unconsciously. It was no wonder Kirlia didn't trust him, or any human for that matter. How long had those twisted people kept her, forcing her to fight in their sick matches? He couldn't imagine how people could do that to a pokemon. He was going to say something but was interrupted by Cyndaquil as his starter was sent rolling towards him.

Rob got up and headed to over to Cyndaquil. His pokemon was splayed out on his back panting, though not looking too roughed up for it. He hadn't been doing too poorly considering the type disadvantage but Sandshrew's dig attacks had been giving him trouble.

"You have to dodge those, his ground attacks are going to keep getting you into a rough spot, you have to try and be a little more defensive." Cyndaquil made some reply, taking Sandshrew's offered hand as he was pulled to his feet. Rob had no idea what it was but Sandshrew shook his head with a bemused smile. "You guys are doing great though," Rob said to them as he grabbed a bottle of water from his pack and threw it to Cyndaquil.

After a short break, Rob had the two back to sparring. He instructed them to work on their accuracy, or more specifically Cyndaquil's accuracy, as he'd be fighting quick, flying opponents tomorrow morning. Kirlia hadn't moved from staring intently into the ground in front of her as he sat back down against the tree.

He thought about trying to get a little more information out of her but decided against it. He had already made more progress today than the rest of their time since meeting. He didn't want to push her away, at least now he felt like she'd talk to him when she was ready.

Instead he focused his attention on his two embattled pokemon, trying to find any weaknesses that he could give some advice to correct. Nothing jumped out at him though, he felt that Cyndaquil would improve with practice, and this was the best he could offer at the moment. He looked over at Kirlia who still had her eyes on the ground.

"Kirlia, how do you think they're doing?" Rob asked, hoping that maybe she'd have some useful tip, as well as maybe occupying her mind with something else.

"They're too nice." The reply was delivered coolly, and she didn't look up. Her answer made him cringe though, too nice... So much for helping take her mind off things. The sun had begun to descend from its midday peak when he finally called for Cyndaquil and Sandshrew to halt. The two gladly joined him in the shade as he passed them the water bottle.

"You guys did great," he said beaming at them. "I don't think we'll have any trouble getting that Zephyr Badge tomorrow." He let his pokemon rest a bit before they head back into the city, maybe just a little overdue for lunch.

"Well, I said I'd make up for the quick breakfast, you guys ready to go grab something to eat? Kirlia?" Cyndaquil and Sandshrew both looked eager to go, probably starving after fighting all morning. Kirlia on the other hand, well he had no idea if she had been paying attention, at hearing her name though she got up and fell in behind them.

A cooling breeze followed them back into the city, making the walk rather enjoyable. The number of people they passed on the way back indicated that others were taking advantage of the nice weather as well. Two of his pokemon would eat just about anything he put in front of him, he knew that much, but he wanted to see if he could cheer up Kirlia a little after bringing up her past.

"So Kirlia, what kind of food do you like?" Rob asked, hoping to find inspiration for a place to stop as they started to approach the downtown section.

"I don't understand," Kirlia replied, still sounding a little distracted. Rob looked at her confused himself.

"Well, like what I got you yesterday, I can't bring that kind of stuff on the road with us but while we're in the city we can get whatever you want."

"That was the first time I had anything like it," her psychic voice sent. "It was good." He couldn't imagine that she ate just pokemon food all the time, but then again...

"Well then, I know where we're going" Rob said resolutely. He didn't know precisely where he was going per se, but he knew what he was looking for.

They wandered the streets for a little while, Rob looking searching for just the right place to go. Cyndaquil poked at his leg, and looking down, saw his pokemon gazing up at him with the most innocent, wide eyed begging look he could muster.

"Don't worry, this will be worth the wait, I promise," he said to his edacious little fire type. "You'd think I starved you how you act," he muttered. "Ah, here we go." Rob found what he was looking for and headed in. It didn't take long to order, and deciding to eat back at his room, they were soon on their way to the pokemon center.

Kirlia felt overwhelmed as she looked over all of the containers Rob had placed out for them. He had gotten all this just because she'd never had whatever kind of human food they were? There was no way they'd finish all of it, even with the four of them.

Rob watched his companions break into the small feast. It might not have been the best food in the world, but the place had offered a nice variety. Sandshrew and Cyndaquil dug in with reckless abandon but Kirlia, who was calm and sure any time she went into battle, now looked lost with the assortment before her.

He ate slowly, sitting back and allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of one of his ideas actually working out. Kirlia's eyes lit up every time she tried a new item. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she was holding the fork more like a murder weapon rather than an eating utensil though. The four of them having a good meal and enjoyable company.

When they had all finished, Rob took them to the park that Violet City had, not too far from where the pokemon center was. Rob relaxed on one of the park benches, enjoying the last hours of what had been such a nice day. After a quick warning to not light anything on fire, Cyndaquil and Sandshrew wandered off to explore the area. Sandshrew had seemed to try and get Kirlia to go with them but she just stood and watched as they roamed about.

"Rob?" a timid voice said drifting into his mind. He looked down to see Kirlia's ruby eyes gazing up at his, he hadn't even realized she'd walked up to him.

"Hey, what's up?" Eyes so often filled with sadness or anger now looked into his with something he hadn't seen before.

"Thank you." The words were soft, barely more than a whisper.

"You're welcome." He spoke gently and leaned forward to stroke her on the head. A small fraction of the tension she seemed to be harboring left her as his hands ran through her verdant hair. He withdrew his hand and she turned away from him, breaking their gaze and blinking quickly. She moved to sit down on the grass next to the bench he occupied, staring off into the distance.

If he suffered a humiliating loss tomorrow at the hands of Falkner, the trip would still be more than worthwhile. There was something still bothering Kirlia, she seemed tense or nervous about something and he couldn't imagine it was the fight tomorrow, but she seemed to be opening up to him. No matter what had happened in her past, she would make it through.

Kirlia still didn't know what to think. She didn't want to trust Rob, but she hadn't been treated poorly since they met, and after doing everything today for her... Maybe that was his plan? Have her not want to leave and use that as an incentive to win fights, so she wouldn't be lost to another trainer? There could be worse things she supposed.

Whatever he held over her, she would crush her opponents tomorrow. There was no way she would let herself be kept locked up, waiting to be brought out to fight and then be sent back to the darkness. Not if she could do something to prevent it.

The evening passed quickly. Red streaked the sky as Rob lead them back towards the pokemon center. She had walked with him a little through the park, visiting the statues and fountains that dotted area, though she remained silent. She hadn't known what to say. She didn't want to be abandoned to this Falkner, she was stronger than the other two but they had shown themselves to be much more loyal. Her mind raced the entire time. Time and again, the only solution seemed to be to win tomorrow's fight. She wouldn't fail.

When they were back in their room Rob had turned on a strange device that had tiny people and pokemon inside it. He tried to explain that the people weren't inside the machine, but it still looked like they were. Cyndaquil had tried to touch it but there seemed to be a glass barrier over the front.

Kirlia climbed into the chair in the corner of the room and tried to relax, but her mind continued to churn through all of the worries she had about the upcoming event. Long after the others had fallen asleep she remained awake, the harder she tried to rest, the more anxious she became. And when she finally entered her dreams, she wished she had remained awake.


	6. Power

Rob woke them early that morning, anticipation of the match ahead preventing him from sleeping in. The fact that Kirlia was the one not waking up surprised him, usually it was only Cyndaquil who gave him trouble. He gently shook her by the shoulder to try and get her up.

"You can't stay in be-" her small hand shot up to grab his wrist, his arm tingling at the touch with what he assumed was psychic energy. Her eyes widened as she saw him and quickly released her grip.

"Mm sorry," she mumbled sleepily into his head. Those eyes that had raged with hatred for the briefest second now looked up at him apologetically.

"Are you okay? You don't look like you got very much sleep."

"I'll be fine," she grumbled, rubbing sunken eyes as she sat up. Nightmares were nothing new to her, and she had a fight to focus on so she could prevent those dreams from becoming reality. Rob gave her a searching look before moving on to warm up their leftovers for a quick breakfast.

Time had seemingly crawled by while she waited in their room for their scheduled match time, but now that they were walking towards the gym, Kirlia felt incredibly tense. She had never been this anxious for a match in her life. Rob and the others lead the way as they made their way to Violet Gym, Cyndaquil listening to a few words of advice and strategy from his trainer. She didn't pay them any mind, Rob was still a beginner and Cyndaquil was just as inexperienced, it would be up to her to win.

The building they stopped in front of was quite a structure. An imposing tower loomed above as they entered through ornate doors. Kirlia breathed deeply as she entered the gym, and Rob went to the lady sitting behind the desk.

"Hi, I have a match scheduled for this morning," Rob said to the woman behind the counter. It was the same one who took his information the other day, though she looked up at him this time.

"Rob? Go on in, there will be a league official to the right who will go over everything with you." She said it in the same disinterested voice used during his last visit, and waved him through offhandedly before returning her attention to the papers on the desk.

"Thanks," he muttered and walked through the large double doors leading out of the lobby, into the gym. The area inside was not at all what he had been expecting. It was spacious, open and lacking features such as an arena. A few people mingled about but it didn't seem like a gym challenge was about to happen.

"Hey, over here," a voice called from his right, probably noticing his confused look. "You're Rob right?" The man said and walked towards him. "I'll be officiating the match today if you'll just step over here for a minute. The name's Devin." After shaking the man's hand Rob followed him off to a side room that looked like an office.

"So, is this really where the gym battles are held?" Rob asked to the man's back as they entered his office.

"Oh no," the man said with a small laugh. "The gym matches are held on the roof, the inside of a building is no place for a bird to fly about. Now," he said jovially, sitting down across the desk from Rob and grabbing a few papers. "The rules are two pokemon each, no substitutions and once a pokemon is declared unable to continue, they are out of the fight. Who will you be registering." Rob indicated Cyndaquil and Kirlia, and filled out a few more forms quickly.

"All right then, you're all set, any other questions before we begin?"

"No, I think I'm ready," Rob said, his excitement building as he got closer to his very first gym challenge.

"Good, if you'll follow me I'll take you up to the arena." Grinning, the man lead Rob out of his office and towards an elevator. They took it to the top where a small tunnel lead towards blinding sunlight. "Best of luck to you," Devin said, stopping just before the exit. "Now, the crowd is waiting for you, give 'em a good show." With a smile and a gentle push on the back from Devin to get him going, Rob stepped out onto the sun bathed arena.

He almost froze as his eyes adjusted to the brilliant light and got a good look of his surroundings. There must have been hundreds of people surrounding the stadium as he walked nervously towards the challengers box. He'd never considered there would be other people watching him. While people went to watch battles at Azalea Gym on occasion, nowhere near this many ever came out, even for highly publicized matches.

He tried to steady his breathing as his heart raced, waiting for Falkner to appear. He didn't have long. The crowd erupted in cheers as Falkner stepped from the tunnel and strode towards his side of the field, his stride and demeanor betraying total confidence. He said nothing but smiled from across the field as the judge Rob had spoken with earlier took up position on the side of the arena.

"Is the challenger ready?" The official called, looking towards Rob for his affirmative. Rob nodded. "Send out your first pokemon." With a deep breath, he prepared himself.

"Cyndaquil, go!" Rob called loudly and Cyndaquil leapt to take the center of his half of the field, unaffected by all the eyes that watched him, eager to fight. Falkner sent out his own pokemon, throwing a pokeball high into the air, releasing a Pidgey.

"Begin!" And Rob's first gym battle began.

Kirlia watched as both Rob and Falkner began shouting orders to their pokemon at the same time. The difference was that Falkner was clearly the more skilled trainer. He and his Pidgey seemed to work very well together, while Rob let his excitement and nerves get the better of him, fumbling with his strategy.

Despite his inexperience though, Cyndaquil held up admirably against his winged adversary. Ember kept the small bird at bay while he was able to dodge most of Pidgey's gust attacks. Though while his ember kept Pidgey away, it also made it difficult to land any lasting damage, the fight quickly turning into a furious test of endurance.

Flames blazed skyward again as Pidgey tried to swopp in close, forcing the bird to retreat and swing around to try once more from a different angle. Cyndaquil found himself constantly having to jump away from a gust attack and reposition himself to counter. The pair were locked in a perpetual dance that they wouldn't be able to keep up forever.

The crowd around them embodied the frustration that the two fighting pokemon felt, adding to the tension of the match. Their cheers and groans following the combatants, all of which seemed to be leading up to a climactic finish. Both Cyndaquil and Pidgey beginning to flag.

As Kirlia watched the fight, she began to notice a pattern to Cyndaquil's attacks and counters; and as he began to tire more, his moves became increasingly predictable. It was only a matter of time before Falkner or Pidgey noticed it as well. Which ever one of them finally noticed she couldn't tell, but the next gust that came from Pidgey's wings were not aimed at Cyndaquil, but Cyndaquil jumped right into its path.

The crowd began to cheer as Cyndaquil was blown into one of the arena's walls. Seeing victory before it, Pidgey dove from the sky, landing a vicious quick-attack to the dazed Cyndaquil's belly. Cyndaquil slumped to the ground as the crowd exploded, releasing the tension that had built from the nail biting round.

"Cyndaquil is unable to continue, challenger, send out your next pokemon!" The judge had to shout to make his words heard over the tumultuous roar of the crowd. Rob let out a ragged breath as he returned Cyndaquil to a pokeball, but smiled as he looked down to her.

"It's all up to you Kirlia," he said grinning. "Time to show them what you can do." She stepped out onto the arena, conscious of the eyes that followed her.

"Begin!"

"Kirlia, confusion!" she heard Rob call from behind her. She hadn't been sure if he'd try and give her orders during the fight, but she humored him this time. Pidgey was almost defeated anyway, flying around much more slowly than when Falkner originally released it.

She poured psychic energy into the tired bird's mind and watched it tumble awkwardly from the air. The crowd gave a much more contained cheer this time, having to fight an already defeated foe clearly was not quite as exciting. The official declared Pidgey unable to fight and for Falkner to also release his last pokemon.

"I've been waiting to try my newest acquisition out for some time, I hope you're up to the challenge," Falkner called out across the arena to Rob as he reached for his last pokeball. "Go Swellow!"

The bird appeared in a red flash over the arena, its wings stretching wide as it let out a majestic cry. It was a much stronger opponent than she had expected after seeing the first. Kirlia's eyes narrowed as she examined the bird. She would crush it.

"Begin!" the shout came for the third time and Swellow shot upward, a blur through the air. The bird was fast, and Falkner was trying to end the match quickly. Wes had given as few instructions as possible when his pokemon fought, instead instructing them to listen to the other trainer's commands. She had no need to listen to Rob, and could focus on the gym leader.

"Kirlia, confusion!" but the command fell on deaf ears, instead Kirlia charged a psybeam as she stepped slowly towards the center of the arena, Swellow a mere speck in the sky above. If Falkner wanted a quick fight, then that's what she'd give him. Time seemed to slow down as it happened.

The tiny spot in the sky that was Falkner's Swellow began to grow rapidly. The flying pokemon was incredibly quick, but that would ultimately be the bird's downfall. Kirlia prepared, needing her timing to be perfect. She waited until her opponent was seconds from connecting with a devastating blow and then jumped to meet it, a powerful psybeam swirling around her hand.

Creating a barrier inches in front of the speeding bird, she teleported, missing the sickening crash as Swellow slammed into the wall of psychic energy. The world lurched drunkenly around her as she rematerialized again, still not completely used to teleporting while in motion. She had to twist awkwardly in the air to see the crippled Swellow, not even finished bouncing off her barrier. As she dissipated the field, she hurled all her stored energy at her foe, throwing it crashing back into the ground. There was silence for a few seconds as Kirlia fell roughly to the arena floor.

"Swellow is unable to continue, Rob from Azalea Town is the victor!" The crowd exploded in cheers as Kirlia watched the broken mass of feathers get recalled by a red beam. She clenched her fists to try and stop them from shaking, breathing heavily. Her mind cleared a little now that the fight was over. What had she done?

Kirlia grunted as Rob grabbed her, dropping down and pulling her into a tight hug.

"You did it, that was incredible!" Rob exclaimed, his excitement obvious. She could feel his heart racing as she was pulled against him. "Sorry," he grinned widely, releasing her.

"Well well," Falkner's voice came from behind them and Rob stood up to greet him. "That was quite the performance. I must say there's not many who can get a crowd so worked up during their first gym match."

"Wow, uh thanks," Rob said shaking the gym leader's hand. "I wasn't expecting something so strong as a Swellow though." Falkner laughed heartily at Rob's comment.

"You'll have to forgive me for that, I saw you walk in with your pokemon. Not many new trainers come here with anything of the caliber of that Kirlia you have there, and I thought I'd at least give you a challenge. Though you didn't seem to have any trouble with him."

"You can do that?"

"Well, if I had won I may have felt a little guilty, but the league puts us here to make sure trainers are ready for what's ahead, and I'm not one to let somebody slip past me too easily." Falkner laughed again. "But you've more than earned this, I'm happy to present you with the Zephyr Badge," and handed the shinning silver medal to Rob.

"Thanks," Rob said with a grin, taking his first badge from the gym leader's hand. He was about to say more but surprisingly, was interrupted by Kirlia.

"I-Is he going to be okay?" her timid voice spoke in his mind. Rob was going to respond but Falkner must have also heard her, he smiled soothingly down at her.

"Don't you worry yourself little one, that was quite the unexpected attack but Swellow will be fine, we have great healing facilities here. But," Falkner began, turning his attention back to Rob. "I must commend you, you've got a lot of potential. Not many new trainers come into my gym with such a thorough plan already created ahead of time. Telling Kirlia to use confusion while you had that little acrobatic maneuver planned was quite something," Falkner said, his confident grin unwavering. Rob couldn't help the slight blush at his words, especially since his praise was basically for Kirlia ignoring him.

"I er, well..." he began but Falkner talked right over him.

"Most rookie trainers just come in here and treat it like any other battle, keep this up and you'll go far. Now, after a fight like that I'm sure you'll want to go get your Cyndaquil healed up and celebrate a bit, so go take it easy will ya? Oh and don't tell Bugsy I threw Swellow against you, he already thinks I'm too hard on new trainers as it is." Falkner extended a hand out.

Rob felt awkward at the wrongly given praise but it was too late to correct the gym leader now. With a smile he grasped the man's hand and shook it one last time.

"Thanks, it was a great fight," and with that, Rob lead his two pokemon off of the rooftop arena.

Falkner watched as the trainer he had just battled walked down the tunnel, his long time friend and gym officiator coming up beside him.

"Don't tell me you think the kid came up with that plan," Devin said. Falkner chuckled.

"I just wanted to see him squirm a little, maybe he'll figure out that he can't just rely on that pokemon of his to carry him his entire career. He looked just as shocked as I probably did when that Kirlia did her thing." Devin only shook his head in wonder.

"You know sometimes I wonder if Bugsy is right about you, you're terrible. She was something else though wasn't she."

"Indeed," Falkner said as the two began to make their way back towards the gym's interior. "I just hope her abilities aren't wasted on someone so... Green." They exited down the hidden set of stairs to where the gym's healing facilities were located.

* * *

Kirlia wished she could feel a tenth of the giddy joy that she sensed radiating from Rob. For herself, she just felt cold. Now that her anxiety at being abandoned to Falkner had dissipated, all she could think of was the broken form of Swellow laying on the ground. She had been the cause of it.

What was worse was the exhilaration she had felt during the fight. She had reveled in the feeling, completely outmatching her opponent in skill and power, and she had almost killed the pokemon. She felt like she was going to be sick.

Rob felt as if he were in a dream after the victory. He had never imagined how intense being in that challenger's box would have been, the crowd watching and cheering, hundreds of eyes examining him and his pokemon's every move. It had been one of the most surreal and invigorating experience in his life, and he loved it.

He walked quickly in the direction of the pokecenter, his excitement part of it, but also having Cyndaquil in his ball felt odd to him. Rob had grown so used to constantly having the small fire type at his side, and after the fight Cyndauil had put up against Falkner's Pidgey, he didn't deserve to be cooped up in the device.

The pokemon center was only a few minutes walk from the gym and soon after arriving, Rob had handed off Cyndaquil's ball to one of the nurses.

"We'll have him all taken care of in a jiffy," the smiling nurse told him and carried the pokeball into the back of the center. Rob lead his other two pokemon to wait, taking a seat in the lobby of the large building. Sandshrew had hopped into one of the seats next to Rob and Kirlia had moved to stand against the wall on his other side. He wouldn't say that her silence was uncharacteristic, but he had thought she would have been a little happier after her amazing performance on the rooftop.

"Kirlia you okay? Did you want to get checked up while we're here?" he asked, a little concerned. She hadn't so much as been touched during the fight but...

"I'm fine," she replied not taking her eyes off the ground, voice distracted and sullen. Rob sighed. He didn't know why he had expected a different answer. Stretching a little in the chair he let himself relax a bit as they waited. Having been awake only a few hours, the day had already been incredibly fulfilling.

The nurse and Cyndaquil were only gone for about 10 minutes before reappearing through the doors they left through. Cyndaquil ran towards Rob as soon as he saw his trainer, and Rob got up to scoop the little fire type into his arms.

"Haha, glad to see you're all better, you did amazing," Rob said happily, ruffling the fur on Cyndaquil's head.

"Quil!" came the happy reply back, his pokemon chipper as ever.

"Your Cyndaquil is all set, he took quite a hit but it wasn't anything serious," the nurse said as Rob let Cyndaquil back to the ground.

"Thanks I appreciate it," Rob thanked her and with a smile, the nurse returned to her work. The four of them returned to their room in the pokemon center and Rob sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I just wanted to say thank you all for everything you guys have done for me," Rob began, looking at each of his pokemon in turn. "Even you Sandshrew, I know that this gym was just bad luck with typing for you, but I'm glad you were there with us. Cyndaquil, you put up an excellent fight, you were so close to defeating that Pidgey. And Kirlia, I don't know what you did but that was one of the most impressive displays I think I've ever seen. Falkner's Swellow didn't even stand a chance."

He smiled at her but his words didn't seem to cheer her up at all, if anything she seemed to wilt further. "I just wanted to say thanks, you guys are my best friends, I'm glad we've got a long road ahead of us."

Kirlia stood against the wall not far from where she had entered the room as Rob patted his other two pokemon on the head. Rob stood eventually and made his way over to her. She flinched instinctively as she felt his hand run through her hair.

"Come on cheer up Kirlia," he said soothingly to her. "We won, and you did amazing today." She continued to gaze at the floor, enjoying his calming touch despite herself. She wished he would stop saying that, complimenting her on how she utterly defeated Falkner's Swellow out of her own selfish desire and fear.

It had been less than a week since her miserable life with Wes had been torn apart and the pieces thrown into the winds of fate. And with everything that had happened since compounding her confusion, she still felt numb to most of it. Abra, the strange power that could take control of her just as easily as it could take a life, Rob. It was just too overwhelming.

She finally looked up as Rob withdrew his hand and stepped back. He still smiled down at her but there was the faintest tinge of sadness to his eyes.

"Try an let yourself enjoy the small stuff, things will get better," he said, and returned to the bed where he had placed his pack. "Well since we still have most of the day ahead of us, you guys want to get a head start on going back to Azalea?" Cyndaquil and Sandshrew quickly voiced their assent and Rob looked towards her. "Kirlia?" She didn't know why he bothered to ask her but, where they were didn't really effect her.

"Sure," she replied, whether here or somewhere else wouldn't change anything. She watched as Rob quickly finished stuffing everything back up into his pack and straightened up the room a little. When he had finished, Kirlia followed him and the other two pokemon out into the pokemon center and to the main desk.

"I'd like to check out of the room I've been staying in," Rob said to the nurse who deftly took the key and found Rob's information.

"Of course, are you planning on heading out of town?" the nurse asked as she finished processing their room information.

"Yeah, we'll be heading back to Azalea Town."

"Hmm, well just be careful, I've been hearing rumors of some strange things along Route 32," the nurse began conspiratorially. "People like to make a big fuss about nothing, saying that Team Rocket or some nonsense is causing trouble," she laughed at the notion. "But a trainer did have to be brought in after a rough engagement with some wild pokemon. He was a younger trainer,probably just got in over his head, but just keep an eye out while you're out there, you never know." The nurse smiled as she finished checking out the room. "Take care."

"Thanks," Rob replied and left with a wave. Kirlia had never heard of a Team Rocket, but neither the nurse or Rob seemed to be worried about it. In celebration of his first badge, Rob decided to get them lunch at one of the restaurants before they left Violet City. It was a quick meal but Kirlia was still amazed by how good human food was, and couldn't help but feel a little uplifted after having eaten.

They were soon back on the road, the sun above already past its peak but still keeping the ground on the warm side of comfortable. Once again the four of them were walking along Route 32. Kirlia took her place a little behind the others as usual, not bothering the three ahead of her. Sandshrew was filling in Cyndaquil on what he missed while he was in his pokeball during the battle with Falkner.

They discussed her part of the fight but she did her best to ignore them. It didn't bother her that they were talking about her, but fighting was the last thing she wanted to think about right now, she wished she could just forget the entire morning. Unfortunately the others didn't seem to share her sentiment, and it wasn't long before Rob's other two pokemon fell back to walk beside her.

"So Kirlia, did you practice that move you used against Swellow earlier?" Sandshrew asked. Sandshrew seemed to have lost a little of the calm composure that he usually maintained, doubtless being infected by Rob's good mood and Cyndaquil's ever constant energy.

"Not exactly that, but similar strategies I guess," she replied, splitting her mental communications to the both of them. She tried to keep her dark mood out of her words, though she didn't know how much success she achieved. If they noticed though, they ignored it.

"So then did you do a lot of fighting before being captured by Rob? Cyndaquil said that you'd only been traveling a few days before you met me, but the way you fight, well you're very good." They were both looking at her with interest, as if she was hiding some great insight.

"I did enough," she muttered, though this time she knew she did a poor job of hiding her feelings. Sandshrew looked like he was going to say something but Rob decided to speak, her eyes picked up at the possible rescue from her current conversation.

"I hope those two aren't bothering you too much," he said good-naturedly, leading them alone now that the others had decided to join her.

"No, they were just asking about the gym battle," she sent to her trainer.

"Oh, that reminds me now that we're back on the road, I was wondering if you had any training methods or ideas that could help the others." She couldn't take it, she squeezed her eyes shut as she stopped walking, unable to suppress the anger that boiled up within her. All three of them turned to look at her.

"Why would any of you want to learn about fighting from me?" she didn't direct it at anyone in particular, and all those around her would be able to hear her telepathic voice. She tried to keep her anger contained but failed miserably.

"Do you want to know what great advice was drilled into me when battling an opponent? Aim to cripple them, it will give you an easy win and a short match. Make them so afraid of being hit by one of your attacks that the fear will cause them to make mistakes. If you have the advantage, don't stop attacking even if you think they're defeated, make sure that they won't be getting up."

She struggled not to choke up as vented her frustration and anger. She was probably being louder than intended but they all treated this as if it were some kind of game. "And you know the best way to win a fight? Kill them. There's no chance that they'll get back up or surprise you that way."

She was panting by the time she had finished. She felt like escaping to some dark corner to be alone, away from everything. Three sets of eyes, wide with shock, looked back at her as she finally opened her own. She didn't look at any of them but they seemed to wither under her angry words.

"I'm sorry Kirlia. I didn't mean to bring up," Rob began but she cut him off, the heat that had burned in her dieing out as soon as she had finished.

"It's fine," she said wearily. "I shouldn't have raised my voice."

"Do you need a minute?" he asked gently but she just shook her head and they began to walk down the path again, in blessed silence this time. Sandshrew nudged Cyndaquil who was still looking dumbfounded at Kirlia and motioned him forward, the two of them rejoining Rob and leaving Kirlia to walk behind them in solitude.

The group continued their way along Route 32, leaving Violet City as a fading mark on the horizon as they entered back into the wilds. It felt good to Kirlia after spending all that time in Violet City, with so many humans and their constructions around.

She regretted her outburst, the less the others knew about her past the better. There was no taking it back now though, all she could do was hope that they didn't try to probe any further. The though of losing control again, like the first time, still haunted her, but she couldn't talk to any of them about it. They wouldn't understand, and if they knew the truth about her. She shivered as she watched them, unknowingly presenting their backs to something like her.

After a while of walking, Sandshrew and Cyndaquil had picked up a conversation and were talking quietly amongst themselves. She ignored them for the most part though, getting caught up in her own thoughts. Wild pokemon occasionally made an appearance as well but with the progress Rob's other two pokemon had made as of late, they were able to handle most of them without trouble. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew took turns fending them off with little injury to themselves.

The sky above them grew darker as the sun dipped towards the treeline, and thick clouds moved in to shroud the appearing stars from sight.

"I guess we might as well stop here," Rob's voice came from ahead. "And it looks like it might rain tonight," he added much less enthusiastically. The camp was set up in short order, Rob getting the tent put together while she and the other two pokemon prepared the fire. No one had asked her to help, but anything was better than just sitting around. Despite how mentally exhausted she felt, her body was restless.

Once the fire was blazing and their simple camp was all set up, the four settled into their usual spots. Kirlia watched between the leaping flames at her three traveling companions. They looked happy, bathed in the orange glow of the fire as they talked quietly, Rob doing his best to not let the language barrier get in his way.

She stared into the coals of the fire, unable to stop the twinge of jealousy she felt at watching them. Everything seemed so easy for the others. They were able to laugh as she had everything taken from her, as she transformed into some deranged monster that could snap and kill everyone around her in an instant.

The fire burned itself out as the night progressed, Kirlia letting its warmth lull her into despondence. The flames eventually died down to nothing more than glowing embers and Rob got up to approach her.

"Hey, we're going to bed, you should come in, it looks like it's going to rain tonight." He spoke gently and she didn't have the energy to put up a fight. Besides, he was most likely right about it going to rain. She stood wordlessly and followed the other three into Rob's utilitarian tent, trying to take up as little room as possible in one of the corners. Rob tossed a blanket to her and she curled up into its soft folds, trying to sleep.

She stared into the darkness for a long time as she listened to the others breathing slowly transition to the calm rhythm of sleep. Everything that had happened playing over and over in her mind, questions that she didn't have the answers to.

"Rob?" she reached out timidly with her mind, unsure if he was still awake, making her mental voice as quiet as she could.

"Yeah Kirlia?" she heard his quiet response whisper from the darkness to her left. She hesitated, unsure if she really wanted the answer, or how he would react, but she needed to know.

"Which one of use did you wager?" her voice still a whisper, wavering slightly. "Against Falkner, who did you wager?" She held her breath, silence hanging in the air for a moment before he replied.

"Kirlia," he began, his voice low and sad. "Trainers don't do things like that. If battling meant that I had to risk losing one of you, any of you, then I wouldn't do it. But that's not how it works, and I will never let any of you be taken from me. The three of you mean the world to me, I'd never risk that."

"I see." She had to struggle to maintain her calm. She hadn't sensed anything but sincerity and a touch of anger and sadness from him. It must have been the truth, but then that meant she had almost killed Falkner's Swellow over nothing.

"Sleep well Kirlia," Rob's gentle voice came from the darkness. She squeezed her eyes shut as her thoughts tormented her to sleep.

* * *

Kirlia giggled as they ran from her. Human and pokemon alike fled in terror as she cut them down with her incredible psychic power. She was amongst them as if a storm, striking with bolts of psychic energy, tossing them about. Her mind reaching out to them, grasping them with invisible hands, and tearing them apart.

The chaos and death she rent was ecstasy, her mind lusting for more. Absol was there, and she crushed the four legged monster just as easily as the rest, the beast's dark powers offering no protection against her unfathomable might. She was invincible. She was a god.

The very power to recreate all existence was hers, everything was clear to her as she laid waste to the corrupted world around her. The screams of those she cleansed from the earth a blissful melody that drove her to continue the onslaught.

Her ivory torso was stained, splattered with the crimson evil that leaked from blackened souls purified by her infinite power. Nothing could compare to this, her very presence creating a new, better reality around her, bending the very world to her will.

"Kirlia why?" a voice shouted at her, his eyes trying to meet hers despite the sickening distortion that engulfed her. Rob's pokemon lay twisted behind him, never to rise again. "Why?" It was a desperate, confused, betrayed sound. It exhilarated her.

"I can fix it, I can fix everything," she laughed, joy pulsing through her in unison with her psychic powers. "I can make the world better, I just need to remove all of the evil first," she shouted into the pandemonium around them. She grinned widely as the indigo fire that burned within her eyes roared to life, and Rob was cleansed from her new world.

Kirlia's eyes snapped open, her mind devoid of everything but the all consuming confusion and terror that paralyzed her. It was dark and something snared her limbs. Panicking, she teleported. She stumbled, falling to the wet grass, her stomach emptying itself on the ground before her. Light raindrops fell on her shaking form, mixing with the tears as they ran down her face. What was she?

Choking for breath, she wept quietly as her body was drenched by the morning rains. It had felt so real. She scrubbed her hands on the wet grass, desperately trying to remove the invisible blood she could feel covering them. That power. It had been just like when she had grasped it reality, was that what it would turn her into? Its intoxicating effects irresistible. She could never do anything like that, but then again hadn't she already? Huddling in on herself, she let the cool rain wash over her.

Rob woke much earlier than he had expected too. It was hard to tell by looking out of the small clear patch on the rear of the tent, since thick gray clouds blanketed the morning sky, but not much light made it inside. He had thought something had woke him but the tent was silent aside from the gentle patter of rain on the tent roof.

He sat up and glanced around, his heart leaping into his throat. Kirlia was gone. She wouldn't have run off like that would she? He grabbed for his pokeballs quickly and sighed as he felt all three of them, she must be close by then. Why she would go out into the rain he had no idea, but he didn't really understand much about his psychic type.

Cyndaquil, who had been sleeping snuggled up against his side began to stir but with it being so early, Rob told him to go back to sleep. Cyndaquil gave him a happy coo and curled back up, needing no further encouragement. Rob moved towards the tent entrance and opened it up.

The achromatic morning did not at all look inviting as he peered out into the spring rains. It was warm enough despite the early hour, but the rain would quickly turn cold after any length in it. Their traveling today would likely not be the most pleasant since they'd started out. At least it wasn't coming down too hard though, it could have been worse.

His quick scan of the area from the inside of the tent didn't reveal Kirlia's whereabouts, and he contemplated going out in the unpleasant weather. If nothing else it would wake him up, and bracing himself, he stepped out into the cool rain. The water felt invigorating as he stood up and looked around.

It took him a moment to find her in the dim light and shrouding rains, but he finally located her small form. Her back was to him, knees pulled up to her chest and head down. She looked miserable sitting there. Rob had no idea what could be bothering her this time, but Kirlia didn't so much as twitch as he approached her, completely ignoring his presence.

He wanted to say something, but his mind was drawing a blank as he gazed sadly down at his despairing pokemon. Talking with her would probably just end up making things worse anyway. He couldn't think of anything else to do, so he sat down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shaking form and pulling her against his side.

Kirlia didn't fight the gesture, in fact she still didn't even seem to acknowledge his presence. Her skin was cool against his, the rain continuing to fall on the pair of them. Rob looked down at her, face buried in her knees, hair clinging wetly to her. He wished he knew something more he could do, but nothing came to him, so he sat with her as the morning wore on.

Rob didn't know how long they ended up sitting there. Despite the rain receding to a light drizzle, his clothing had already long been drenched. Kirlia stirred beside him, moving for the first time since he had sat down beside her. While he sat, Kirlia stood at about eye level with him, but she refused to meet his gaze.

"Shouldn't we be getting ready to leave?"

"Kirlia what's-"

"Please," her voice begged him, "not right now." He stared at her defeated posture for a moment longer before slowly getting up.

"Yeah, let's get going," he said gently to her.

He faced an interesting conundrum as he returned to the tent with his depressed Kirlia. He didn't want to get everything inside wet, and his damp clothing didn't bother him, but there was still all the sleeping articles spread about. He poked his head in through the tent, surprised to see his other two pokemon already up, Cyndaquil chuckled at him.

"You're going to be out here pretty soon too, we'll see how good you look with soaking wet fur," Rob said, trying to comb some of his bedraggled hair into place with his hands. Cyndaquil's smile faded as he looked out into the saturated morning.

"You guys wouldn't happen to be able to pack everything up though would you? I don't really want to get everything in there wet." Cyndaquil didn't look like he wanted to do anything that would mean they would be on the road sooner, but after a nudge from Sandshrew the two of them set about.

Rob watched with amusement as his two pokemon struggled with the much too large blankets that had been laid out. He had to admit though, it was an admirable effort and they did manage to fit everything into his pack. When they were done he quickly made sure that the waterproof bag was sealed tight and pulled it out into the rain with him, his pokemon following reluctantly.

Rob quickly took down the tent and before long the four of them were back on the road towards Union Cave. While the rain was a slight annoyance, it had calmed down to little more than a misting, and it seemed to keep most of the wild pokemon at bay, so it probably helped their speed in the end.

He kept looking back at his trailing psychic, worried that she would just sit down and give up. Kirlia kept her eyes to the ground as she followed them, however tense she had been the past few days paled in comparison to how she was acting now. Whatever had her so scared must have happened during the night. The only thing he could imagine was a nightmare, but he had a hard time imagining she would get so worked up over a bad dream. Especially after all the other things she must have had to endure.

The day dragged by slowly, the rain never really letting up much to his fire type's dismay. They did manage to cover a good amount of ground though, and with both Cyndaquil and Sandshrew much stronger than the last time they made the journey, even the encounters with wild pokemon were becoming trivial.

Sunlight finally broke through the clouds, but not in time to do much more than paint the sky red. Rob found them an acceptable camp site and quickly set up the tent. He was going to skip trying to make a fire, but between the chill the evening had brought with it and Cyndaquil's insistence, they finally got a small blaze going, Cyndaquil having to spend much longer than usual breathing flames on the damp wood.

Kirlia sat with her back to the dancing flames, away from the others. She couldn't even look at them. The dream had been so vivid, so real that she could still barely tell it differed from reality. She had felt as her very mind destroyed them, and what reason did she have to think that it wouldn't happen for real. Worse, what if the others found out what she was, a freak, a threat to everything around her. Would Rob try and kill her? Use her? Abandon her?

Maybe it would have been better had she died in that basement. Thinking back, she hadn't done a single thing to be proud of in her life. She wanted to live, but she caused nothing but misery to those around her. It was hard to even tell how she was any different that the ones she despised. Cruel, selfish, she wanted to be happy, but it was always at the cost of others.

Her heart nearly stopped as Rob sat down next to her, she hadn't noticed him coming up behind her. As her shock wore off she quickly dropped her wide eyed gaze to the ground, shame beginning to fill her. He was kind to her, and the feeling of glee she felt as he died still tormented her. She wilted under his very presence, waiting to be confronted. The accusations never came though.

He just sat there, silent, calm, relaxed, and for some reason, it calmed her. He didn't say anything, or even look down at her, simply sat. The fire burned itself out as the two of them sat there, Kirlia finally feeling a little of her unease ebb.

"You ready to get some sleep?" Rob asked quietly, still looking out into the night. She had been too preoccupied with other thoughts, but now that he mentioned it, she could feel the fatigue dragging at her.

"Yeah," she replied meekly. Rob got up, and she followed slowly behind him, heading towards their tent. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew joined them as they passed, the two of them having been relaxing in the heat of the flames after the cold and rain, looking just as ready for sleep as she felt. Once she was curled up in a blanket Rob had provided in her usual corner of the tent, she quickly drifted off to sleep. Rob whispered something to her in the darkness, but she was too far gone to make out his words.  
Kirlia woke early to the sound of movement in the tent. Sunlight and a gentle breeze poured inside, the tent was left open to allow the clear blue morning in. The tent flaps rustling in the wind. Rubbing her eyes she got up and walked outside, squinting in the bright light.

"Good morning Kirlia," Sandshrew greeted from where he sat eating a small breakfast.

"Morning," she replied slowly, examining their surroundings. Rob and Cyndaquil were a little ways away, Cyndaquil on Rob's shoulder as they shared a breakfast, Rob handing up food every now and then to his fire type.

"Rob left this for you," Sandshrew said handing her her own meal.

"Thanks," she sent quietly. "How come you're not with them?"

"I just thought I'd have a quiet morning to enjoy the sun after all the rain yesterday," Sandshrew said, stretching under the warm morning rays. "And between you and me, everyone needs a little time away from Cyndaquil now and then." He grinned at her and she couldn't help but give a slight smile of her own. She ate the rest of her meal in silence, also enjoying the sun's warmth after yesterday's cold.

All in all she felt much better than she had the day before. That horrid dream still troubled her mind, but if she had dreamed last night, she didn't remember anything. Rob didn't seem to be in a hurry this morning and the sun was already well above the horizon when she had finished eating. Sandshrew had begun basking in the sun and Rob was playing around with Cyndaquil.

It was nice to relax at first, but as the time passed a growing sense of unease seemed to settle over her. She couldn't help but glance around, expecting to see ominous blood red eyes glaring hungrily, stalking slowly up on them. As much as she tried to shake the feeling, it only intensified.

She began to feel out their surroundings with her psychic powers. While her ability to destroy was impressive compared to the other psychics that had been captured by Wes, her other psychic abilities were pathetic. As much as she had tried she wasn't able to read minds, and even her ability to detect the forces around here were laughable. Time after time she felt as if she should be able to, but all her efforts had ended in failure.

With what she could manage, she spread out her mental powers to search the surroundings, but found nothing. And although she wouldn't be able to sense a dark type directly, she should still be able to feel their lack of presence, like a void in the picture. She thought so anyway, cursing her lack of skill. Not finding anything didn't remove the feeling that was quickly approaching dread. She couldn't sit there doing nothing anymore.

"Rob?" she asked apprehensively as she approached him.

"Oh, good morning Kirlia," Rob replied cheerily as both he and Cyndaquil turned to look at her. "Feeling any better today?" he inquired a little more gently.

"I uh, well I was but," she tripped over her words, unsure of exactly what she was trying to say. What if he just thought she was crazy? "Does anything feel, wrong, to you?" she asked glancing about nervously.

"Wrong? I don't feel anything, what makes you ask?"

"I don't know, it's just, something isn't right. We shouldn't be here." It was getting worse, her mind screamed at her to run, but the calm pleasant morning merely taunted here with inactivity. Rob studied her for a moment but he obviously didn't feel the impending catastrophe that she did.

"I know the past few days have been stressful for you, but try and relax a bit, enjoy the morning," he said in a calm, soothing tone. He gave her a carefree smile and went on. "If you're still feeling anxious to get back on the road in a bit we can pack up in get moving, sound good?" He was dismissing her fears, but then what reason would he have not to.

"Sure, sorry," she mumbled and wandered back to where she had been sitting before, out of everyone's way. Rob might have said something back but she didn't hear it, her mind consumed by the feeling that twisted her stomach. She sat down and once again began to search with her psychic power.

The minutes dragged by, her mind detecting nothing besides an occasional bird flying overhead. She wasn't practiced enough to tell what kind of pokemon they were through her psychic powers alone, though she thought she could tell Rob apart from Cyndaquil. And even if she did detect something, she didn't have the range to give more than a few seconds warning anyway.

She began to feel silly as nothing happened, but then they came. There were pokemon heading directly for their camp, a lot of them. She concentrated on the pack bearing down on them, feeling them with her mind; they felt angry.

"Rob," she called, quickly getting up, not limiting her telepathy so the others could hear her. They all turned as her panicked voice entered their minds. "There's wild pokemon coming, a whole group of them, and they seem hostile." They all looked confused as she slowly began backing away from where she felt them coming, moving slowly towards Rob.

"Are you su-"

"Yes I'm sure," she said frantically. "We need to leave here, we need to run," but it was too late. As she said it the tall grasses in the distance began to roil, purple bodies lunging through the greenery, yellow tails whipping behind them.

Rob was momentarily frozen by how many pairs of golden eyes were bearing down on his small group. This wasn't good, two of his pokemon had type advantage over the Ekans, but there were so many of them. He was surprised when his back thumped against the bark of a tree, not even realizing he had been backing away from the incoming pokemon. His own three pokemon forming a small triangle around him, faces grim.

He tried to steady his voice the best he could and give them some confidence, "Just stay together and focus, they out number us but we can beat them. Kirlia I shouldn't have dismissed you, I'm sorry; and I hate to lay this on you, but you're our best chance of getting through this."

His heart raced as it began. Kirlia started it out by dropping three of their foes before they even reached striking distance with her powerful psywaves, after that it was chaos. Rob could do nothing but watch as adrenaline coursed through his body and his pokemon engaged the wild Ekans.

Cyndaquil put everything he had into his flame attacks, burning large swaths in the grass and forcing the wild snake pokemon to either back off or get roasted. Sandshrew was having a more difficult time having to rely on his short claws to attack, though he used the thick hide of his back for protection. Kirlia on the other hand practically radiated her deadly grace.

She danced around the other pokemon, unleashing devastating blows on the ranks of the Ekans all the while dodging their attacks. She even threw up a barrier now and then to save Cyndaquil or Sandshrew from a poisonous bite. Had Rob not been all but paralyzed with anxiety at the dire situation, he would have marveled at her beauty.

With Kirlia guarding the left flank and Cyndaquil on the right, the Ekans were prevented from encircling the group. None of the wild pokemon willing to risk being targeted directly by the intense flames or psychic attacks. When the Ekans realized that their dead rush wouldn't be enough to overwhelm their would-be prey, the snakes began to make more strategic advances.

Rob began to control his breathing as his friends fought desperately to protect him. He fumbled for an empty pokeball, the only thing that would offer him any protection if one of the Ekans made it near him. He felt useless as he watched the scene unfold. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, and he felt that if he tried to offer instructions to his teammates he would only end up distracting them.

One of the snakes finally got past Cyndaquil's defensive flames and managed to sink it's fangs into Cyndaquil's side causing his pokemon to go down. Rob felt as if time slowed as his body locked up completely. Kirlia noticing him go down and trying to be in three places at once. Sandshrew struggling to do what he could as the wild pokemon tried to capitalize on the break in their prey's defense.

Flames erupted from Rob's downed pokemon and the snake screeched in agony as its face was seared by the intense flames. In a brilliant flash of the purest white light Rob had ever seen, Rob's very first pokemon rose.

"Quilava!" Rob's freshly evolved pokemon roared as it sent a devastating wave of fire crashing into the Ekans. Rob let out a shuddering sigh of relief, but it was short lived. In the confusion one of the Ekans had made it past his pokemon's notice. He himself didn't even see it coming. An Ekans launched itself at him, grunting in pain as he was pushed back into the tree behind him and the snake latched onto his leg. Agony lanced through him from the two puncture wounds.

Rob half threw and half dropped the empty pokeball on the Ekans hanging from his leg and used his adrenaline fueled body to send the ball flying with a kick. He was hyperventilating, that wasn't good. His thoughts rushing back to his academy days. Poison. Keep the wound below the heart, well he got bit on the leg so that was easy. Remaining calm however he was finding to be a much more difficult task, he was starting to feel faint. He slowly sank to a sitting position, delicately moving his injured leg.

"Rob!" a voice yelled into his mind, he snapped his focus back to the battle, he had completely forgotten... "Return Quilava!" Kirlia's voice was ragged and desperate. He looked up to see his best friend struggling futilely as one of the purple creatures was crushing the life out of him. Rob's fingers clumsily grabbed Quilava's pokeball and returned him in a red flash, the snake that had ensnared him dropping to the ground.

Sandshrew had also fallen prey to an Ekans' bite, two angry red marks marring his soft underbelly as he continued to fight on. It wouldn't be long before he too succumbed to the poison. Rob's fingers shook as he set Quilava's ball to stasis, his mind clouded by fear and adrenaline as he felt an uncomfortable heat spread up his leg.

He tried to force himself to breathe normally, fighting to calm himself, he couldn't afford to keep panicking. His pack lay near him from where he and Cyndaquil had been eating breakfast, and he slowly reached for it, hoping for all he was worth that his other two pokemon were doing okay. He dug into the bag, shoving aside the food and clothing that was on top and searching along the bottom for the items he had bought before he had ever even left home.

Reaching, he felt the smooth bottles and pulled them out, setting them at his side. Potions, his pokemon could use them after. He reached back in and pulled out two more. A third time and his hands felt nothing besides the few empty pokeballs he still had, as well as the flash HM he picked up in Violet.

Had he been so distracted the day he picked up Cyndaquil that he had forgotten to buy antidotes? He laughed as a horrifying sense of calm washed over him. He had managed to doom them before he owned his very first pokemon.

"Shrew," came a wheezing voice, Sandshrew staggering towards him as he collapsed in front of Rob. He rolled onto his back, laboriously filling his lungs.

"I'm sorry buddy," Rob said wearily as he returned Sandshrew, setting the ball to stasis. Kirlia was also walking towards him, a stillness settling over the area, the fighting done. Kirlia actually looked like she made out pretty well aside from some disheveled hair and heavy breathing.

"You're injured," Kirlia noted, motioning to the small tears in his pant leg, the surrounding fabric tinged red.

"Yeah I guess so," he replied with a rueful chuckle. Poison was slow to kill, but quick to incapacitate, he didn't have very long. "C'mere a second," he said motioning to her, and she approached cautiously. "I know you never wanted to come with me," he began, the calm and clarity he felt at that moment at odds with his impendent death.

"And I've always regretted capturing you the way I did. I tried my best, but clearly it wasn't enough. I was glad for the time I got to spend with you regardless though. I hope you don't resent me for it." He held out the pokeball that bound her to him. Kirlia's eyes were wide as she grasped the item with shaking hands.

"I can't release you out here, but it won't be long till you're free." He smiled, looking into those ruby eyes as their gazes met. She disappeared with a shimmering crack. He rest his head against the bark of the tree before making his final preparations. He set Sandshrew and Quilava's balls to save as much power as possible. They'd have a day and a half, maybe two before they were released by the emergency mechanism.

He laid the two pokeballs next to him. If another trainer came by then maybe they would be able to save his pokemon. He had no regrets about anything save for completely letting down his two friends. There was no reason they should have to suffer for his incompetence.

"I'm sorry guys," Rob spoke to his two friends that would never hear his words. "You were both incredible, I froze but you two didn't hesitate a moment to protect me. I'm sorry I wasn't worthy, but I love the both of you. When you get out of here, well, make the best of it. I only wish I could have talked with you for just a moment, one more time."

The tent was still set up and they weren't too far off the road. It was a long shot, but maybe someone passing would notice in time. For himself, it was over a day's time in either direction under good circumstances to civilization. He didn't have a chance. Resting his head back he made himself comfortable. He didn't know if it was the poison or just his fading consciousness, but he closed his eyes feeling nothing but serenity.


	7. Decision

Freedom. It was all she wanted her entire life, so what was she doing? Tears rolled down her pale cheeks as the countryside blurred around her. Kirlia still didn't know what she felt about her three traveling companions, Rob had done nothing but add to the confusion she had been struggling with, but she did know that she didn't want to be alone. She clutched her pokeball tightly to her chest as she teleported across the path below.

Kirlia didn't pay attention to any of her surroundings as she rushed across the land. Her mind protesting at the amount of psychic energy she was using, especially after the earlier battle. Instead focusing everything into making the next leap.

It was her fault if they died. During the attack she had been terrified of losing herself. If she succumbed to her power she could have easily fended off the Ekans. But she had been so afraid of it taking over, of reliving that nightmare in reality. And now that she had held back, they were going to die. More deaths laid at her feet.

She tried to force those thoughts from her mind, all that mattered was the next jump, each one increasing the pain building in her mind. Compared to traveling with the others it would take a fraction of the time to reach the human city, but she still had no idea how long it would take. Or if she could even make it before she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Hey! Watch it," and angry voice shouted at her. Kirlia's eyes snapped open to find herself in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Humans brushed by her angrily as she fought the disorientation from constantly teleporting, and the blinding pain in the back of her head. Hurriedly she threw herself against the brick exterior of a building, moving out of the way of the annoyed humans towering over her.

Panting she tried to think of what to do next. Obviously she made it to the city but, where was she supposed to go? And how long had it taken her to get here? The surrounding buildings made it impossible to see the position of the sun. She took a moment to catch her breath and began to look around.

The humans for the most part ignored her now that she was out of their way. Gripping her pokeball as tightly as she could, she walked to the corner of the street. It had been odd that she teleported so far into the city without even realizing it, though while traveling she had blocked out almost everything. No, she knew where this was.

The pokemon center that they had stayed at was just across the street. She couldn't afford to waste more psychic energy, but she had to get over there. When she didn't think any of the humans would notice her, she teleported. Inside the center was much quieter compared to the busy streets outside.

She walked slowly in, looking around. Rob had said she could trust them that first night when they had arrived but... What would they do if they found out she didn't have a trainer with her?

"Hi can I help you?" Kirlia jumped at the voice, spinning to face the nurse who had approached her.

"I uh, I, my trainer needs some antidotes and I don't, don't know where to get them." She steadied her hands by grasping her pokeball; she was unable to keep her voice calm though. The woman smiled disarmingly down at her.

"If you're hurt then I can take care of any injuries you might have. If that's your pokeball I can put you inside and take you-"

"No I'm fine," Kirlia told the woman quickly, hugging the small sphere to her chest. "I'm not hurt. I just need to get some antidotes." Her nerves were getting the better of her; she wanted to be away from this place, a few of the other humans in the room had turned to watch them. She fidgeted a little, looking for a way to escape if she needed to.

"Oh okay," the nurse said soothingly, still smiling down at her. "Well there's a store right down the road from here where you're trainer could pick some up. It's just a street over and down a little, head right when you exit the pokemon center. Is you're trainer around?"

Kirlia began to panic. "Yeah he's just outside," she said quickly and began backing away from the woman. When the nurse didn't attempt to follow or stop her, she turned and hurried out of the building. Kirlia shook as she tried to calm her breathing. She wanted to get away from all of these humans and return to the others, before they ran out of time.

A street over and to the right, that's what the woman in the pokemon center had told her. There were so many buildings and she didn't know how humans decided to organize their constructs, she had to try though. Concentrating on being on the other side of the buildings she now faced, Kirlia teleported once again. Her body protested against the continued use of her abilities, gasping in pain she almost dropped her pokeball as she reappeared.

She couldn't keep this up, she could barely stand. Panting, Kirlia looked around, trying to find a place that would sell antidotes. The buildings all along the street had signs, probably indicating what they contained, but Kirlia had no idea how to read the symbols humans used. Luckily there was a small sign sitting in front of one of the shops displaying pictures of different types of pokeballs. It looked like her best bet and she timidly made her way through the shop's doors.

Shelves with all kinds of items lined the store, forming towering walkways through the crowded interior. A couple of humans moved about, picking up various items, and a line was formed at a counter in the front. A man probably around Rob's age approached her.

"Hey, you shouldn't really be in here without your trainer." He didn't seem hostile, exactly, but Kirlia felt he didn't want to have to deal with her. She glanced around nervously, but didn't leave.

"Do you have antidotes?" she asked him timidly.

"Yeah, we do, your trainer can come pick them up if he needs some." At least she had found the right place, but she wouldn't even know what they looked like.

"Sorry, he should be right behind me, he just sent me to get them ready for him." She didn't know if it would work, but she needed this human's help, and wanted to be away from here as soon as possible. She tried to steady her voice the best she could. "Please?" The man gave her a searching look before turning away from her and walking down one of the aisles.

"Fine, but next time let your trainer know that he shouldn't be sending his pokemon alone in here," the man grumbled as he grabbed a bag. "How many did he want?" he asked stopping in front of one of the shelves. Kirlia had no idea, at least one for each of them but what if it wasn't enough?

"Six." Hopefully that would be sufficient. After grabbing the requested number of bottles off of the display, he headed for the counter with the long line.

"I'll leave these at the register for when your trainer arrives," and he began to walk to the front of the store.

"Wait," Kirlia called out, making the man turn. "I can just hold on to those for him," she attempted but the man turned and gave her a disparaging look.

"Do I look like an idiot?" he asked flatly.

"No I just, please, I really need them," she begged the man. She was on the verge of tears. Surrounded by humans, the only people she knew lay miles away, dying because of her weakness. All she wanted right now was to be away from their eyes, she could feel their distrust.

"Greg," the man called out over his shoulder, sounding exasperated. Another human soon appeared from behind the other, this one older and also looking in a foul mood.

"What is it?" the older one asked.

"I'm pretty sure this Kirlia is trying to steal from us, she came in without a trainer and has been acting odd, should I get the police?" A third human appeared on the other end with an Aron beside her, boxing Kirlia in, the narrow aisle leaving her with few options.

"Is everything okay, you need any help?" the trainer asked the other two humans. Kirlia backed up against the display case, frantically trying to keep all three of the humans in sight. "Aww, the poor thing looks scared," the female trainer said bending down a little to inspect her. Kirlia cringed away from the human.

"Probably because we caught her trying to make off with my merchandise," the older man huffed, holding a device up to the side of his face. "I'll call the league, they can come get and deal with her." The female trainer took a step closer and Kirlia raised a hand, trying to conjure up a psybeam in case she was attacked. Blinding pain shot through her mind and she brought her hands to the sides of her head. The pokeball she'd been holding clattering to the ground and rolling away.

It was over, not an ounce of energy left in her. Kirlia fell to her knees. The twisted forms of Cyndaquil and Sandshrew. Rob, his leg necrotic, reaching desperately for her help. Absol, Wes, Abra, darkness. The three humans beating her. Images assaulted her mind, and that wicked power sung to her.

"Please no," she whispered into the ground, a tear gently splashing against the smooth floor. "I just wanted to help them. I just needed those antidotes." The sight of her pokeball rolling away grabbed her attention, and in that brief lapse of concentration, the power filled her. Her mind opened up, eyes blazing to life with indigo fire as reality broke down around her.

The human woman had been bending down and reaching for the loose pokeball. "That belongs to me," Kirlia's mind snarled at the woman, and she sent the trainer crashing into the far wall. The Aron recovered quickly from its shock and launched itself at Kirlia. _Fool_. She disposed of the creature with a wave of her hand.

They had tried to take the pokeball from her, she shouldn't have even shown them that much mercy. Levitating the ball to herself, she snatched it from the air and brought her attention to the other two humans. They began to back away slowly when they noticed her glare, she halted their retreat with a barrier, cutting them off from the other part of the store.

Internally, Kirlia screamed. She tried to fight, to not be taken over by the power's will. Energy stormed around her as she advanced on the frightened store employees. She barely came up to their waist, but the two men cowered before her. With an arm raised at the younger man's chest, she focused her powers. The attack that swirled around her outstretched hand could doubtless punch a hole straight through one of the building's walls.

But aside from the ceaseless miasma of psychokinetic energy that encompassed her, she was as still as the pale faced man before her. With every fiber of will she had, Kirlia fought to keep that attack within her. If she lost control here, in the city, she could kill hundreds. Slowly, she felt her arm lower. The power still raged inside of her, corrupting her thoughts, trying to win her over, but she fought.

"I. Need. That bag," Kirlia sent the man who was holding onto the bag of antidotes in a white knuckled grip. She had to struggle to get the words out, still fighting for control of her body.

"Anything, just don't kill me," the man blurted out, shoving the items towards her with trembling hands. Taking the bag, Kirlia let the barrier behind the two drop. A crowd gasped, apparently the other humans had gathered around, trying to figure out what was happening on the other side of her opaque wall. The younger employee she had just threatened turned and ran, plowing through the onlookers and disappearing from the store.

The other man was still frozen, the device held limply at the side of his face, mouth hanging open. Kirlia no longer had any reason to be there. With all the new eyes on her, her fear allowed the incredible power to begin regaining control, she had to leave. Unfortunately, she still needed that power, her regular abilities completely tapped.

With all of her remaining self control, she fled. When she reappeared she found herself far from Violet City, much farther than one teleport should have taken her. She couldn't stop though, the urge to return to the city and bring it down around her terrifyingly strong. Again she teleported. On the third jump, Rob's tent was in view. It had taken three jumps, where it required dozens before.

Kirlia ran to where Rob lay, and with all her concentration, expunged the vile power that filled her. She collapsed. Without the tendrils of insidious energy fueling her exhausted body, she struggled to even move. Her vision wavered, fighting to even keep her eyes open as she dragged herself towards Rob's still form.

Rob looked in bad shape, sweat drenched his face and his skin was pale, the bite marks on his leg swollen. Worriedly, Kirlia put a hand to his chest. His heart raced below her palm and his breathing was weak and sporadic.

She didn't even know if the antidotes would help. Her limbs felt sluggish and unresponsive as she reached into the bag from the pokemart and pulled out one of the bottles. Hoping it would be enough, she placed the device against Rob's arm, just below where his sleeve stopped and pulled the lever, injecting the liquid it contained into him. Once it emptied, Kirlia was unable to maintain her grasp to consciousness, and passed out in a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

Death was a lot more painful than Rob had imagined. Or, it was a lot like being alive. Every fiber of his being was sore, but he could feel himself breathing, his heart beating. Every breath an excruciating labor. His senses returned slowly, but there was nothing but darkness as his eyes refused to open, feeling swollen and heavy.

Attempting to move, he found his left arm was pinned. Slowly he tried to move his right. First getting a finger to move, and gradually lifting his arm stiffly. Stretching his fingers out as best he could, he brought his hand down on the weight that lay across his chest. His hand met soft hair, a woman?

Agonizingly he forced his eyes open, the calm of dusk greeting his return. The head his hand was now resting on belonged to a Gardevoir. She lay as if she had fallen on him, sleeping peacefully, a delicate hand grasping his shirt in a fist. Was that his Kirlia? His mind filled with questions, but he wouldn't get any answers until she woke up, and he was much too weak to move her.

Pain jolted through him as he half laughed and half coughed, but he smiled weakly through it. Somehow he was alive. Closing his eyes he stroked Gardevoir's hair, and soon he was asleep once again.

The next time Rob woke was a less happy experience. He groaned as he opened his eyes to the bright morning, every inch of his body feeling as if it had been pummeled. His jeans felt tight around the swollen, injured leg he was trying to pretend didn't exist, and his throat was parched.

"Gardevoir," he rasped, gently shaking his sleeping pokemon. She muttered something and pulled herself closer to him. It would have been cute had he not felt like death would have been a kinder fate. "Gardevoir wake up please," he said shaking her again. With a groan she brought a hand to her head and looked up.

"Rob? You-You're alive?" Her voice was weak and distant, but there was no sadness or hostility in the big red eyes that looked up into his. He gave her a faint smile.

"It seems so, thanks to you I'm assuming? I hate to ask more but could you get me some water? I can't move with you on top of me." He said it lightly but her eyes widened when she realized their position. She jumped off him, stumbling backwards.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to," she said frantically, scrambling back from him.

"It's fine," he said, trying to calm her, "but please, water." Gardevoir watched him nervously for a moment longer but began to move grab his pack. As she reached in though she froze, bringing her hands up to stare at them.

"I evolved," she said in wonder, examining her new form. He didn't mean to interrupt her moment, but he couldn't manage to suppress a fit of coughing, and Gardevoir pushed a bottle of water into his hands. The warm liquid felt wonderful as he drank half of the bottle in one go.

"Thanks," he sighed, leaning back against the tree and trying to figure out what to do from here. He was in no shape to travel, and he didn't even want to look at his leg, which felt like it was about to burst into flames. Quilava and Sandshrew were both still in their pokeballs, injured. At least the potions would work on them, unfortunately he was on his own.

He had many questions running through his mind, least of which was why they were even attacked in the first place, but the pain in his leg told him he should prioritize that. On closer inspection though, between how tight his pants now fit around his leg and how painful it was to move, there was no way he was getting them off intact. With the blood from his wound staining them, they were a lost cause anyway.

"Gardevoir," Rob called to her. After handing him the water she had backed off, giving him plenty of room and still looking a little on edge. "There's a knife in the front of my pack, could you grab it for me?" Her eyes widened, shifting hesitantly between him and the pack.

"I didn't mean to touch you, I-I'm sorry I won't-" her tiny voice seemed to be pleading with him. He cut her off though. He tried not to let his temper get to him but the pain was making it hard to think.

"I know, and it's fine, I don't care. I'm not going to hurt you, but I need you to focus for me, please. This wound can still kill me out here." Gardevoir still didn't look comforted but slowly she retrieved his small blade from the pack. "I need you to cut away my pant leg until the bite is uncovered," Rob instructed, steeling himself for what he could only imagine was about to be a rather unpleasant experience.

"A-Are you sure?" Gardevoir asked, looking down at the knife in her hand. The way she held it made him second guess the idea but he didn't see any other options.

"Yeah," he said, smiling at her to try and give her some confidence. "Just try not to cut me, and keep going no matter what." She looked down at the knife and then his leg. The bite was on the side of his calf, just a few inches below his knee. As Gardevoir began, he shut his eyes, trying to think about anything but his damaged leg.

It was slow going and it hurt, Rob trying to grit his teeth through it. The wound was just as ugly as it was painful, he was amazed at how bad it could get in just under a day's time. The skin around the two punctures was red and puffy, the bites themselves oozing. Again with Gardevoir's help he cleaned them the best he could and bandaged it up. He also gladly knocked back a few of the pain killers he'd found in his first aid kit. When they had finished, he rest his head back with a sigh.

Gardevoir sat, watching her trainer nervously as he apparently drifted off to sleep. She had thought that everything would be fine if she was able to get the medicine here, but Rob said he might still die. And then there was the fact that she had fallen asleep on top of him. Had that been Wes... But no, Rob was NOT Wes, he was nothing like her previous owner. Still...

And then there was her evolution. It had been disorienting, being more than twice as tall as she had been prior to passing out. Her flowing "gown" was also a lot more restrictive than when she had been a Kirlia. Even so, the power that her exhausted mind hinted at was enticing. She was afraid to try exercising any more of her abilities beyond what she had used in talking with Rob, at least until she rested more, but she felt stronger already. It seemed even more pronounced than when she had evolved from Ralts.

Of course she had also used that other power she somehow contained, the cruel, controlling, infinite power. She had managed some control over it this time, and it was the only reason she was able to make it back to Rob in time. She just hoped the trainer and her pokemon were okay, she hadn't even spared a though after getting rid of them.

Her mind still felt a little fuzzy, probably from pushing herself too hard, and she decided that sleeping might not be such a bad idea. It was still relatively early and the sun against her skin was comforting. Laying down, a good distance away from Rob, but close enough that she could help if needed, she closed her eyes. The pleasant heat lulling her gently to sleep.

Rob woke a time later, not even realizing he had fallen asleep. Stretching a bit, he marveled at how much better he felt after his short nap. He still wished his leg wasn't attached to him, but it hurt a little less, and he'd take anything he could get at this point. Gardevoir had apparently also decided to continue resting and had curled up in the grass a little ways off. He smiled at her.

Despite being cold, untrusting and occasionally hostile, she had come back to save him. She had made her choice to stay with them, and he could never repay her for that. Groaning, he attempted to stand up. His entire body stiff from having sat in the same position for the past day or so, but with the tree to lean on, he managed.

Trying a few hesitant steps, he winced, but was able to put at least some weight on his injured leg. There was no chance they'd be going through Union Cave today though. He sat back down and brought his two filled pokeballs in front of him. Gardevoir had brought back more than enough antidotes to cure Quilava and Sandshrew, and his potions would take care of their other injuries.

Grabbing Quilava's ball first, he pressed the activator and his friend was deposited before him in a red flash. Quilava thrashed about for a moment before realizing he'd been freed. Rob had put them in stasis, they would have had no notion that time that had passed since the battle. Quilava got to his feet slowly and looked around with confusion until he saw Rob. With a small whine Quilava leapt at him.

"Haha, I'm glad to see you too," Rob laughed, almost tearing up. He hugged Quilava fiercely, having never expected to see his first pokemon again.

"Lava," his newly evolved pokemon said weakly into Rob's chest. He was a lot bigger than he had been before evolving.

"How about I get you fixed up a little." Rob released Quilava and picked up one of the antidotes from the bag Gardevoir brought. He noticed her pokeball among the antidotes and put that aside as well. He injected both the antidote and one of his potions into Quilava who, panting, was lying across his lap and clearly still in pain. Rob stroked his friend's fur soothingly as the medicine went to work.

While the pokeball had kept his pokemon from getting worse by keeping them in stasis, it also meant that the time they spent idle in there didn't count as resting. Quilava would have felt the same as when Rob had returned him the day before, from the middle of battle.

The two of them sat like that for a while, Quilava resting and Rob glad that his friend was okay. Rob wanted to get Sandshrew out as well though. He had seemed much more injured than Quilava had, and had practically feinted before Rob had returned him. Quilava moved at his request, deciding to curl up next to him, careful of Rob's sloppily bandaged leg. Rob had been in too much pain to do it himself, and with Gardevoir being both nervous and inexperienced with her new body, well, it would do for now.  
Grabbing his third pokeball, Rob released Sandshrew into his lap, the defeated pokemon falling back against him.

"Shrew," his pokemon whispered up at him, head lolling against Rob's chest.

"It's all right, you did great, everyone made it through." Rob smiled down at Sandshrew as he closed his eyes with a sigh. Rob injected his injured pokemon with an antidote and a potion. After the treatment Sandshrew quietly curled up into a ball and quickly fell asleep. Rob smiled, patting his exhausted friend on his tough hide.

For now at least, it was over. Rob let his head rest back on the tree he had lain against since the Ekans had attacked. While he had failed, his pokemon had been able to carry him through it somehow. He had never experienced a life or death situation like that before, and it was not one he'd soon forget. Looking back it seemed naive to think that his journey would have gone so smoothly.

Plenty of trainers were killed or reported missing and never heard from again, every year. He had just never thought about how many others were likely to be involved in close calls. Maybe the scare had been necessary, wild pokemon wouldn't care if he was a novice or master, and his decisions could get all of them killed. He would have to take their travels more seriously, he couldn't fail his pokemon again. With the familiar heat of his fire type against his leg, Rob couldn't resist falling into a restless sleep with his two healing pokemon.

Gardevoir woke up starving. She still had a slight headache but it was nothing compared to the gnawing hunger in her stomach. Back when they had been at the pokemon center Rob had told her she could take some food from his pack if she were hungry. It would still be okay now wouldn't it? She still hesitated but her stomach quickly won the argument and she wandered over to Rob's pack.

The bag lay near the tree Rob continued to sleep against with his other two pokemon. She was glad that they were all okay. Instead of moving the pack or getting a bowl, Gardevoir sat back against the tree and rummaged around until she found the pokemon food and began snacking out of the bag. She sat separated from Rob by the pack and Quilava, the two of them still sleeping. All of the previous nights that she'd spent trying to distance herself from them, but sitting here, she almost felt as if she belonged.

Maybe the others wouldn't mind it if she stayed close to them, as if they were friends. It was an odd thought. She was still wary of them, and a part of her may never be able to trust others completely, but some reason she had come back, saved them, even after Rob had freed her. Her mind poured over the current situation, and despite everything that had happened, a subtle warmth washed over her.

"Kirlia is that you?" She almost choked as Quilava spoke, startling her. "I can say this isn't what I was expecting to wake up to," he said with a smile and left Rob's side as he strode over to help himself to some of the food. Gardevoir didn't know what to say, so she sat looking at her also newly evolved teammate. Quilava began to eat but froze after a few bites, looking awkwardly at the ground.

"I know that I haven't been the most inviting, but thanks for saving us." He was still staring away from her, looking remorseful. "I'm glad you're here." Gardevoir blinked. Of all of them, she thought Quilava had hated her most.

"I, thanks," she said quietly, not knowing what else to say, his words taking her completely off guard. It had been the first time he'd spoken to her. Quilava looked back up at her smiling, quickly returning to his familiar care-free nature. Rob began to stir at hearing Quilava's half of the conversation.

"Just leave some for the rest of us," Rob said through a yawn, Sandshrew also waking at the commotion. Sandshrew hopped off Rob to join them around Rob's pack. Out of all of them, he looked the least beat up, his natural resistance to poison seeming to give him a quick recovery.

"I'm guessing you're the one I should thank for still being here?" Sandshrew asked her as he joined in, looking as hungry as she had felt. She blushed lightly at his words, the attention from all of them making her uncomfortable. "You're quite a bit taller than I remember though," he said examining her new form, and turning to Quilava, "And is it just me or are did you get fat since I last saw you?"

Sandshrew laughed as Quilava swatted at him, but the ground type wrapped his arms around Quilava in a fierce hug. "When you went down, it's nice to see you again." Quilava returned the hug awkwardly, also getting used to his new-found height.

"Yeah, if I see another one of those damn snakes," Quilava muttered darkly, but his smile was quick to return. "I'm taller than you now though." Sandshrew only shook his head and laughed.

Once everyone had settled around the tree where they had made their stand, Rob brought up the question Gardevoir had been hoping would get glossed over.

"So now that everyone is awake, I'm sure we're all interested in how you managed to get those antidotes. This bag looks like it's from Violet City." At Rob's words, all eyes turned to her. She didn't know how to answer. If she lied, Rob would almost certainly pick up on it, she had almost no knowledge of how human stores worked. But if she told them what had really happened, how she lost control and hurt that trainer.

"I teleported there," she said simply after a moment, letting her telepathy carry to all three of them. They continued looking at her, obviously expecting more. "I got them at a store and then came back," she finished awkwardly. Again she was met with inquisitive stares but she let the silence hang. Eventually Rob broke in.

"You were able to teleport there and back? Even after all that fighting?"

"I guess so, I don't know how," Gardevoir responded, not being entirely truthful. She didn't know where the power came from, but she knew it was the only reason she had been able to return. "I shouldn't have been able to, but I did."

"Well I guess it's just lucky for us then," Rob said smiling to her. "The shop keepers didn't give you too much trouble after explaining the situation then?"

"They, sort of just gave me them I guess," she mumbled, unable to meet his gaze. The words didn't sound very convincing even to her, but Rob made no accusations. Sandshrew was studying her, seemingly also feeling like she was hiding something from them, but he too kept quiet.

Rob leaned back against the tree, finishing off the last of the trail mix he had packed. Gardevoir had seemed evasive as ever in her explanation of events after having left him. Obviously coming back to save them didn't mean she trusted him, not completely anyway. Or maybe she was just embarrassed, he knew that being around other humans made her nervous. He guessed that as long as she hadn't done something too crazy then it didn't matter, the last thing he needed was the League looking for him.

Overall though he couldn't have asked for a better outcome given the situation. All three of his pokemon seemed to be bouncing back from their injuries at a surprising rate. Quilava had lost a little of the fire that had danced playfully in his eyes prior to the attack, but hopefully time would heal that. As for himself? He would become a better trainer, for all of them. He had to.

After sitting for so long though, he wanted nothing more at that moment than to walk around for a bit. His leg still pained him, but otherwise he felt much better, and the pain wasn't debilitating.

"Would you guys mind looking for a branch or something I could use to help me walk around?" he asked his lounging pokemon. He felt a little guilty disturbing the others from their resting, but he couldn't get around on his own yet, not with any great efficiency anyway. Quilava and Sandshrew seemed pleased to take up the task, quickly wandering off to search their surroundings. Gardevoir rose more slowly though.

"Do you want me to help you up?" she asked timidly, still not meeting his eyes.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like that." He said gently, allowing her to help him up and putting an arm around her shoulders to help balance himself. Once he was on his feet he found he could carry most of his weight himself, only using Gardevoir to remain steady. She walked slowly beside him as he took a few tentative steps. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, and with Gardevoir assisting him, his mobility wasn't too hindered. They meandered about for a bit, Gardevoir seeming distracted and not leading them anywhere in particular.

"I don't trust you," she blurted out after a while of walking, half sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as him.

"I know," he replied calmly, a rueful smile forming on his face. "But you came back," he continued, halting their walk. Rob turned and pulled her into a tight embrace. "You came back, and I owe you my life for it." She was stiff, seemingly unsure of how to react. But as he went on, she began to melt against him. "I can never thank you enough for saving me, and the others. I can't imagine how I'd every repay you." Gardevoir buried her face in his shoulder.

"No one has ever thanked me for anything," she whispered into his mind, voice wavering slightly. She clung to his shirt a bit. "If you betray me..." Her voice was almost ragged now.

"Never," he whispered back to her, gently stroking her head. Realizing what she was doing, Gardevoir stiffened and pulled away from him.

"Sorry," she mumbled, not looking at him as she used a free hand to quickly wipe her eyes. Rob gave her a slight squeeze on the shoulder with the arm he still used to steady himself, and they made their way back towards camp in silence.

When they had arrived back, Quilava and Sandshrew were already waiting, the pair of them having found a decent looking walking stick for him. Quilava handed it up to him as he approached and taking it, he shifted his weight from Gardevoir to the branch. It was actually a pretty good height.

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Hopefully tomorrow we can get moving again, I can't be the only one who would rather be away from this place." Testing out how well he could walk with the improvised cane, he moved around the camp. While they would probably have to go a little slower for him, they should still be able to make it through Union Cave in a day, as long as he didn't become tired too quickly. And by tomorrow, his wound might be feeling even better; he hoped so anyway.

Even if he did slow them down a bit, with how much stronger all three of his pokemon had become, the inhabitants of the cave shouldn't give them any trouble. Rob sat back down after his quick walk, Quilava soon joining him and curling up at his side. The bite on his pokemon's back almost completely healed, Quilava's natural healing powers boosted by the potion Rob had administered.

The evening wore on peacefully, all of them gathering around Rob as they watched the sun begin to sink below the horizon. Even Gardevoir was sitting close by. While she wasn't snuggling up against him like Quilava, she was no more than an arm's length away, a nice change from her usual distant self.

Having spent most of the past two days either sitting or sleeping, he thought he'd have a hard time falling asleep during the night. Once the sun had finally gone down however, he felt as tired as after any of their previous days of hard traveling. From the look of his pokemon, he wasn't the only one either.

Quilava had already fallen asleep against his leg, and while Gardevoir looked to be deep in thought, her eyes were beginning to droop. Feeling ready himself, he roused the others and they head off towards the still standing tent.

It was a much more snug fit now that two of his pokemon had grown much bigger. Quilava looked a little put out that he was too large to sleep on top of Rob, but he curled up next to his trainer and rest his head across Rob's chest. Rob stroked his friend's fur gently, enjoying the familiar heat that radiated from Quilava's body.

Gardevoir took her usual spot tucked in against the left wall, trying to take up as little space as possible despite the ample room they still had. He'd have to think of something if he captured any more pokemon though, or when either of his two evolved further. As much as he'd rather not, he might have to start keeping some in their balls, at least when they slept. He wasn't about to start carrying around an even heavier tent.

Once they were all settled in, it didn't take long for any of them to pass out. Rob's mind grew hazy as the heat from Quilava and the strain that his injuries had put on his body dragged him towards sleep. They had made it; they were alive.

* * *

Lucas looked down over Violet City out of the window of his high rise apartment. The phone he held wavering in his grip, but this wasn't something that he could put off. The call had to be made. He punched in the number that he'd devoted to memory hoping never to use. His pulse qwickened, the ringing loud in his ear, a sharp contrast to the silence of his suite. It only rang once.

"This is Violet City, number four," he spoke calmly into the device, masking his true emotions. "There was an event I felt you should hear about. I didn't see it myself, but I have interviewed numerous people who were at the scene. I was discreet of course, but all of the accounts were identical. It was a Kirlia, no trainer that any of them noticed. It manifested, there's no doubt, they couldn't all have made up such an accurate description. One of the Quietus was here." There was a brief silence before the man on the other end spoke.

"Do you know where it went?" The voice was ice, not a hint of emotion, or what the man thought of the situation.

"There was no indication, the consensus was that it teleported away," Lucas responded to the man's question. "From what I remember there was never any information gathered on teleporting, but with so much power, it could have gone anywhere. Who knows how far from the city it could have gotten with even one jump.

"I also passed this information on to number seven, he will be able to check to see if there were any trainers staying at the pokemon center with a Kirlia during the past few days, if there's any record of it. He should be sending you his findings soon."

"Death toll?"

"None sir, one injury but the trainer was able to walk away from the scene."

"Good work," the voice came again, and the call was cut. Lucas sighed, the tension slowly seeping out of him. He tossed the phone onto the counter with a sigh and grabbed himself a glass. If there was ever a night he needed a drink, it was this one.


	8. Before the Storm

Gardevoir watched as Rob put the finishing touches on the fresh bandages wrapping his leg, the bright morning sun peaking over the horizon. After the full day of rest her body was feeling a little back to normal. There was still a slight ache in her mind, but it was nothing that would interfere with her abilities, and she was a little anxious to try them out after having evolved.

Once Rob was finished, he quickly packed up their campsite. He seemed pretty steady on his injured leg despite still using the branch to get around, and with any luck they would move quickly; she didn't want to spend any more time in that cave than was necessary.

"Everyone ready?" Rob asked them, lifting his pack gingerly onto his back and testing out his leg. Quilava and Sandshrew both rose looking eager to be back on the road. She would have been glad to leave too if they had been traveling in any other direction, but she could already feel the oppressive darkness of Union Cave creeping up on her.

The four of them were soon on the road with Rob in the lead alongside Quilava and Sandshrew, and Gardevoir taking up position behind them as she usually did. She thought about joining them, but she still couldn't bring herself to intrude. Besides, she could try out her new powers without disturbing them.

Learning new abilities was always a strange experience, ranging from spending hours trying to perfect an attack to suddenly just knowing how to perform the skill perfectly. This time, it was more like the latter. Raising her hand she concentrated, not using too much energy but not holding back either, and a sphere of blue energy crackled to life in her palm. She put drew on her powers a little more and the sphere grew, swirling with intensity.

She let her curiosity get the better of her and she put her all into it. The shifting blob grew, giving off arcs of psychic energy, while inside a purple storm raged, contained within the blue walls. With a gesture she released the sphere, launching it at a nearby tree and striking the plant's bark forcefully.

The tree ruptured, giving off a noise like an explosion and causing the travelers to jump, Gardevoir herself not expecting the tumultuous noise. Hundreds of vertical cracks ran up the tree and pieces drooped limply to the ground, what remained looking nothing like the original. The other three turned to look at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, I was just trying out one of my new attacks," she said looking at the ground.

"Well it's impressive to say the least," Rob said after a moment. "A psyshock I'm guessing?"

"Better stay on her good side," she heard Sandshrew joke to Quilava, the fire type throwing up his hands.

"Just try not to bring any trees down on us," Rob said over his shoulder as he continued down the path. Gardevoir examined her palm before continuing. What if she had used that on someone, would they too splinter into a million pieces? Maybe she'd just stick to what she'd used in the past, those attacks had always been sufficient in handling her foes.

Union Cave loomed before them much sooner than anyone had expected, a mere hour after they'd started out for the day. Gardevoir stared at the intimidating entrance that swallowed light, its inky depths laughing at her. Rob was talking with Quilava and digging through his pack, but Gardevoir's eyes were locked on her inanimate opponent. All the psychic power in the world wouldn't defeat this foe.

She was weak, a coward, but she couldn't continue to let Absol control her; she had left that monster behind. Her hands trembled at her side

"Coming Gardevoir?" Rob's voice shaking her out of her stupor, the other three turned to her, waiting to enter the cave.

"Yeah," she sent quietly to her trainer and slowly followed them into the abyss. Once inside, Quilava began to glow at Rob's command. Quickly, a warm, steady light was keeping the oppressive darkness at bay, allowing them to see much better than during their first trip through.

They moved rapidly through the cave; Quilava's light averting the danger of stumbling into one of the many dark pools, and whether from the light or the fact that Rob kept all three of his companions out, few pokemon were willing to bother them. After rebandaging his leg this morning he had felt good about heading out, and so far he wasn't displeased with his results. While his leg was a little sore, it didn't hinder him too much as they traveled at a decent pace.

With the lack of any pokemon bothering them, they were moving quickly, especially now that they could see. In fact at their current pace they would probably make it through the cave in about half a day.

"Would you guys be up for taking the scenic route through?" He asked his three pokemon. The cave system wasn't overly complex but there was a path that lead much deeper while still coming out at the same place. It was said that the rarer pokemon tended to make their homes there instead of the more frequently traveled route. Sandshrew shrugged noncommittally, but Quilava seemed to glow brighter at the idea, sniffing the air at the chance to explore.

He knew Gardevoir didn't like being in here but he really wanted the chance to add to his team. If it put her too much on edge though, he guessed the long route would likely be a waste of time anyway, no reason to force her to go.

"Gardevoir? If you want we can just take the shorter path, it would probably get us out of here before it's even dark out." He turned to face her, but she was looking into the darkness beyond Quilava's sphere of light with a stony expression across her face.

"No, I don't mind being in here," she said, an odd determination in her voice. She still didn't meet his gaze.

"If you're sure," he said trailing off, whatever had gotten into her lately, she seemed different. Or maybe it was just something else, in the two weeks they've known each other she had exhibited wildly varying emotions. Once they were back home he'd sit her down; they really needed to talk.

When the fork appeared, Rob lead them down the much rougher passage, the ground sloping steeply downward. The air below was heavier, the echos of water dripping loud in the stillness. For such a small change in elevation, the cave suddenly felt very different, and he was glad to have his pokemon close at hand. Though despite the foreboding aura the cave seemed to radiate, he couldn't say that it was all much more eventful.

In the distance he heard the occasional grating noise of a large rock type moving slowly around, but they never saw any hint of one entering their small pool of light. Maybe they should have just gone the quicker route, he hadn't actually ever talked to someone firsthand who'd found anything rare in these caves.

Time passed without indication as the group made their way through the maze of winding tunnels and broad underground cisterns. The caves might have even been nice if not for the unease he felt from being here. It wasn't just him either, he could see Quilava glancing around, keeping a keen watch on the shadows thrown by his flash technique.

"Hey Gardevoir?" Rob asked over his shoulder. "I don't mean anything by it, but do you feel anything like you did that day we were attacked?" He tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but he found her slowly closing the distance between them, seemingly without noticing herself.

"Um, no, I don't, why do you feel something? What does it feel like?" Her voice sounded less than at ease in his mind, but if anyone would feel imminent trouble attack it would be her. Now he just felt stupid for worrying his already nervous pokemon further over nothing, but he had to be more cautious during their travels.

"It's nothing, just wanted to make sure it was only me. I think I just don't really like it in here." His words seemed to have little effect on his Gardevoir though, and she was now walking close enough behind him that if he stopped abruptly she would probably run into him. _At least she's more afraid of the cave than me_, he sighed to himself.

After what felt like hours of walking through the damp tunnels, he decided that it would best to take a break for a bit, his decision to stop having nothing to do with his aching leg. They made their way to the side of the large cavern and Rob sat down laying his pack before him, his pokemon gathering around.

"Dig in, we just have to make it last another day or so," he informed his pokemon, grabbing a power bar out of the pack for himself and letting the others take what they wanted. Rob relaxed as he ate the light snack and marveled at how much better his leg felt now that he wasn't using it. He definitely shouldn't have chosen the long way. As he sat though, he had the eerie feeling that they were being watched.

For the most part the group was quiet as they ate, Quilava and Sandshrew tried to strike up a conversation every now and then, but even talking lowly the heavy silence of the cave seemed to disapprove of the noise. And then Rob noticed something. Just at the edge of shadows thrown by Quilava's flash, something was moving.

He tried to see what it was without letting on that he saw it, but it was too dark to make anything out. He glanced at Gardevoir who was looking distracted and tried to get her attention. At that moment he would have given anything to be able to talk to her mind directly; he'd have to ask her if that was possible sometime later. It was said that some trainers were capable of telepathy of their own.

"Gardevoir," he whispered as quietly as he could, hoping whatever stalked them had poor hearing. She looked over at him. "Don't look around, but there's something watching us in the shadows to my right, can you tell what it is with your powers?" Panic crossed her face, but a moment later her face smoothed, and her voice entered his mind.

"It's a pokemon, I don't know what kind but it isn't very large, and I believe it's humanoid in shape." _Interesting_. He wasn't familiar with everything that inhabited these caves, but he wouldn't mind getting a closer look at whatever it was.

"If it tries to run, stop it," he whispered in Gardevoir's direction and she nodded to him. "Why don't you come out from there?" Rob called into the darkness, the motion stopping from where he had seen it. His other two pokemon looked up at the sudden noise and focused there attention in the direction he was staring. He stood grabbing his walking stick and Quilava flared his flash technique, letting off a blinding light that pierced the veil of shadows, illuminating a now dazzled black and blue pokemon.

Upon getting caught, the Riolu turned to dart off back into the cave, but Gardevoir's barriers slammed into place around it, trapping the pokemon with only one way out, through them.

"Riolu," the small pokemon whined and Rob immediately felt bad for the frightening him, though why a Riolu was in Union Cave without a trainer was the more perplexing issue. At Riolu's cry though he saw Gardevoir as well as his other pokemon relax, the attack Gardevoir had been holding in her hand dissipating.

"What did he say?" Rob asked his psychic type.

"It doesn't want to fight is sorry for sneaking up on us. Also it's not a 'he'," her voice floated through his mind. Not only was a Riolu here but it was female? A rare find if he'd ever heard of one. While she had released her attack, the barriers remained, and the scared Riolu was staring at them wide eyed, back pressed against the psychic walls.

Rob grabbed a granola bar from his pack and tossed it towards the Riolu, the bar skidding across the ground and landing halfway to her. The Riolu eyed it suspiciously.

"It's for you, if you're hungry. As an apology for scaring you, I didn't mean to, but I couldn't tell what you were doing in those shadows." He smiled at the Riolu and gestured for her to join them. Slowly, and probably since she didn't have any other choice, Riolu approached and picked up the foil wrapped item. She sat down where the bar had landed, still a fair distance from the rest of them, and opened it, sniffing Rob's gift hesitantly.

Just as he though, the Riolu had opened the package without any hesitation, it must have been around humans before, but what was it doing here? Gardevoir let her barriers drop now that Riolu didn't look like it was going to run, but they could also be put back up before he could blink. Riolu looked in good condition; her fur was neat, and there was no obvious evidence of sickness or injury. So where had she come from?

"Gardevoir, do you think you could find out why she's here? Maybe even try and convince her to come with us? I'd hate to have to fight her for a capture now."

"Why me?" Gardevoir asked him with a surprised look. It was an odd request, trying to get the pokemon who didn't trust him to convince another pokemon to join his group, but that look in her eyes when Riolu had first spoke...

"Just try?" He asked. "Please?" She turned and looked directly into his eyes, peering into him like she did back in Azalea, judging his very soul.

"Fine," she said, and a moment later Riolu looked up from nibbling on the granola bar and was gazing at Gardevoir.

"Lu?" her timid voice came as Gardevoir approached. His psychic type strode gracefully over to the smaller pokemon and sat beside her, not touching, but close by her side. And then he waited.

The first emotion he felt as he watched them talk was regret. It seemed that it was mostly Riolu who was talking, and Gardevoir's expression darkened with every word; it wasn't long before the both of them were shooting hostile looks his way. It would be just his luck if a wild pokemon finally turned Gardevoir against him, and down here he'd be nothing but bones before anyone found him. Quilava caught on to Rob's mood and patted his trainer on the leg in commiseration.

"I don't need your sympathy," Rob muttered and ruffled the grinning fire type's head, throwing shadows all around them. At some point Gardevoir had wrapped an arm around the Riolu and the smaller pokemon was mumbling into Gardevoir's side, a green hand running through the wild pokemon's fur.

Light footsteps caught his attention, and he looked up to see Gardevoir a few feet from him looking down. She seemed slightly hesitant, but the look on her face didn't look open for negotiation. _I guess as long as she doesn't go tree slayer on me I can't complain_.

"She agreed to come with me," Gardevoir's telepathic voice told him, tinged with sadness and anger. Rob looked at her with surprise.

"So she'll let me capture her?" This had been easier than he had anticipated.

"No, she agreed to come with me, not you. And I already told her she could." He blinked at her, their eyes locking.

"So, a wild pokemon wants to follow us around?" He asked slowly, trying to figure out how exactly to handle this situation. "I don't know if-"

"I told her she could come," her voice came resolutely, eyes boring into him, he knew she wouldn't back down from this.

"Okay," he said in defeat, and Gardevoir relaxed visibly. She gave him another hard look before turning and walking back to their new traveling companion, or Gardevoir's new traveling companion at least. The blue creature's face lit up as Gardevoir rejoined her, but Rob had a harder time feeling joy at the occasion.

_What am I getting myself into?_ Now that Gardevoir wasn't towering over him he couldn't help but feel like he was making a mistake. What was he supposed to do with a wild pokemon following them around that he had no control over? He wouldn't even be able to take her to a pokemon center if she got hurt. And why would Riolu only want to go with Gardevoir? He should have asked what she'd learned from the wild pokemon.

It was too late now though, he had already agreed, and Gardevoir didn't trust him as it was. If he started going back on his word now... He sighed.

"Everyone ready to get going again?" His weary voice carrying through the cavern. With three nods, plus a glare from their newest member, the five of them continued their way towards the exit and Route 33.

Sandshrew and Quilava flanked him as they continued while Gardevoir and Riolu's steps echoed hollowly from behind. It was good to see Gardevoir finally talking, or at least he assumed she was. He couldn't actually hear her telepathy, but Riolu spoke every now and then. He just wished it didn't make the hair on the back of his neck rise.

Gardevoir welcomed the cool breeze against her skin as their small group stepped out under the moonlit sky. A tightness in her chest that had been present since she'd entered finally releasing. They had made it through unscathed.

"It's been a while since I've seen the sky," Riolu said quietly, head turned up to gaze at the crystalline stars shining brightly overhead. Gardevoir had felt an immediate kinship to the small blue pokemon, both of them having suffered at the hands of their human masters. The only difference was that she had – had murdered so many. She clenched a trembling fist; she couldn't let herself think about that, not now.

"Let's go help set up camp," she told Riolu, shoving the thoughts and images that were trying to surface back into the dark recesses of her mind. The campsite looked just the same as it had when they were here last, just over a week ago. She and Riolu headed out into the surrounding trees too look for wood. Rob hadn't asked, but they always had a fire, and with her roiling emotions, didn't feel like talking with him.

"What does Rob expect from me?" Riolu's voice was low, and the pokemon was still hesitant to meet her gaze. They walked slowly in their search for dry timber, the fresh air of the forest a wonderful replacement to the cave's heavy atmosphere.

"Nothing, you don't even have to talk to him if you don't want to," Gardevoir said gently to the baby pokemon. "He, he won't try and hurt you though. He isn't a bad person."

Riolu glanced at her wearily. "You said you've only known him two weeks." Gardevoir didn't know how to explain herself. She didn't trust Rob, but even Wes wouldn't have been able to keep up the charade that long. And he had stopped her from killing that Abra, and how he spoke to her...

"If he tries anything, I'll, handle it," Gardevoir said, and the small pokemon hugged her around the leg. She paused and watched as the Riolu rummage around the forest, feeling apprehensive. The young pokemon was already looking up to her for protection and advice, and she needed those same thing herself. She couldn't do this. Her new body gave her the appearance of age, but she probably wasn't much older than Riolu, and her outward calm barely hid the storm inside.

Coward, weakling, murderer. Those were what she was, not a mother, and certainly not someone to look up to. _What am I thinking?_ Gardevoir snatched a branch from the ground with more force than was necessary. This would all just lead to Riolu getting hurt, and it would be her fault. She grabbed branches at random, not even checking if they were damp, her brow furrowed.

"Are you okay?" Riolu asked suddenly in front of her, large eyes looking upward.

"I'm fine," she snapped and immediately regret her words at the look of hurt on Riolu's face. "I'm sorry," she corrected herself, speaking gently to her new friend. "I'm just-" but she couldn't say. She couldn't lay her burdens on the young pokemon. "Tired," she finished, giving Riolu a reassuring smile. There was no one for her to turn to, no confidant of her own. She would just have to endure.

They returned to the camp shortly after, Riolu adeptly handling the large bundle of kindling she'd gathered. Gardevoir's own bundle was of much poorer quality, her mind having been elsewhere.

"That didn't take you two long," Gardevoir hear Rob call out as they approached, the three others lounging around the waiting fire pit, tent already constructed. "And thank you Riolu." The fighting pokemon gave him a glare in return, and she quickly returned to Gardevoir's side after depositing the bundle.

Gardevoir dropped her own bundle next to Riolu's and patted the pokemon's blue furred head soothingly. Riolu grabbed at her white flowing gown and hid in it, hiding from the others in the voluminous folds. She couldn't help but smiling lightly at the pokemon's shyness, and she saw Rob chuckle similarly.

The fire was started quickly, thanks to Quilava, and the five of them sat around the warming flames. Riolu had taken position next to her; the both of them sharing the side opposite Rob and the other pokemon. The baby pokemon still had herself wrapped up in Gardevoir's gown, snuggling against her side.

"What are we going to do now?" Riolu's timid voice asked, a tiny blue fist clutching tightly to the gown.

"We'll head back to Rob's home and rest for a few days," Gardevoir replied, running a hand gently through Riolu's soft fur.

"And I can stay there with you?"

Gardevoir continued stroking Riolu's head, and she stared through the flames at Rob's laughing face, his earnest eyes twinkling in the firelight. "Of course you can."

Riolu's face was buried in her side now. "I was lonely in the cave."

"You're with us now." Gardevoir's hand continued it's rhythmic motion, but her eyes never left Rob's face.

"With you," Riolu corrected.

"Yes with me." Gardevoir continued to stroke the baby pokemon until Riolu's hand relaxed its grip, asleep against her side. She glanced down at the sleeping pokemon, still wrapped up in her gown. How could humans be so cruel to something so cute, so innocent. And then there was Rob, an anomaly amongst his kind. Whatever happened now though, she had at least some direction. She would protect this Riolu.

"We're going to head in." Rob's whisper caught her unaware, and she whipped her head up at the noise, a tired smile greeting her.

"I'm going to stay out here, with her," she sent to his mind, indicating the sleeping pokemon at her side. Rob nodded as if he expected it, handing her a blanket. She took the offered item with a mental thanks, and Rob left them, heading inside the tent with his other pokemon.

"Goodnight, Rob," she whispered into the darkness, not using her telepathy.

Gardevoir woke early, her and Riolu both wrapped snugly in the blanket Rob had given her. With a yawn she looked down at the still sleeping pokemon, Riolu's blue fur soft in her arms. The others would wake soon, and she didn't know how long Riolu would sleep, but for now she could enjoy the peaceful morning.

Riolu stirred in her arms and sat up. "Morning," the blue pokemon said, a wide smile across her face.

"Good morning," Gardevoir replied, also sitting up now that she wouldn't disturb anyone. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yup, though you kept tossing about all night." Riolu looked up into her still weary eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I guess I just didn't sleep well." _I had a lot on my mind._ She tried not to let on to Riolu though. "I'll be fine though, don't worry." Her answer seemed to please Riolu though and the pokemon jumped up to study the still warm coals of the fire.

"It's bright out here, I'm so used to the cave." Riolu grabbed a stick and began to stir the ashes gently.

"Do you miss it?" Gardevoir asked distracted, resting her head in her hands, closing her eyes tightly. Her head pounded, maybe she should have tried to go back to sleep.

"Nope," Riolu's cheery voice rang. She had dreamt of her new life and those around her, and her dreams showed it all ending; they would be better off if she left. A few minutes later Rob joined them, along with Quilava and Sandshrew, and with their appearance, Riolu retreated back to her side.

"You can go talk with Quilava and Sandshrew, I'm sure they'd like to meet you." Gardevoir said placing a calming hand on Riolu's shoulder.

"But _he's_ there," Riolu said, glowering at Rob.

"You don't have to be afraid of him, he won't try anything." _He wouldn't right? He captured me, but our situations were different, weren't they?_ _He wouldn't have gone through all that to betray me now, when he already owns me. _But then again Rob hadn't said anything about not capturing Riolu. It wasn't just herself she had to watch out for now.

"I'm not afraid of him," Riolu said sharply. "I just don't like him."

Gardevoir stood up. "Go on and say hi, I'll take care of Rob for a bit, I need to speak with him anyway." Riolu looked up at her with apprehension, but she gave Riolu a reassuring smile while she reached out to Rob's mind. "Rob, could I talk with you for a bit?" He looked up at her, standing and walking towards her. As he approached, she turned from him and began to walk away from the camp and into the woods.

She kept to a slow pace as to allow him to catch up despite his injured leg, yet she didn't stop until they were a good distance from the camp. Without turning she stopped, but didn't speak, suddenly unsure of herself.

"Gardevoir is everything okay?" Rob asked. She heard him take a hesitant step closer in the dry underbrush, but he made no further advance. Her heart pounded in her chest as she thought, her mind racing. _What would he say if I just told him everything?_ It was an appealing idea, but how could he not reject her if he knew what she was.

"Yeah, it's nothing," she finally said, turning to face Rob. He had his arm partially outstretched as if to reach for her, though he dropped it as she faced him.

"So, what did you want to talk about all the way out here?" Rob's eyes met hers, echoing his faint smile. _Maybe I could._

"I-I was rash the other day, and I wanted to ask if Riolu could stay at your house when we get back. I know it's a lot to ask, but please." She took a step towards him, looking up into his green eyes. _If he knew what I truly am._

Rob ran a hand through his hair before answering. "Of course she can, but... Gardevoir you've put me in an awkward spot, I know you meant well but still." She broke their gaze, looking down.

"I couldn't leave her there, she didn't deserve to be alone in that cave, after what she went through." Another product of the human's cruelty, their complete disregard for pokemon.

"Was it her previous trainer?"

Gardevoir shot him a glare, suddenly worried. "What do you know about her?" She kept her voice low, but she looked into him intently. If it came to it, she'd stop Rob to give Riolu the chance to escape.

Rob threw up his hands defensively. "Hey I was only guessing, she seemed to be familiar with humans, that's all. Did she tell you about it?"

"It's her story to tell if she wishes." She forced herself to relax the aggressive stance she'd taken, glancing away.

"I'm sure that's likely," Rob muttered, though he didn't look angry. "Just tell me this, if she enters my house, is she going to behave? I know this means a lot to you, and I have no ill feelings towards her, but I won't put my family in danger over this."

"I'll keep an eye on her, I don't think she'll cause any problems," Gardevoir said looking at the ground. "I'm sorry."

"Well then I guess it's fine then, I trust you." She looked up at his words. He was smiling at her, honesty gleaming in his eyes. She closed her mouth and looked back at the ground. _Then you're a fool, Rob. _"Was there anything else?"

Gardevoir shook her head. "Nothing," she sent, wanting to say more. _If he pushed, could I resist him? _But he didn't. With a light smile he turned from her.

"We should head back to camp, we can make it back to Azalea before it's dark." And he walked away, leaving her to catch up.

Gardevoir took her time following Rob back to camp, but when they approached, she noticed Rob had stopped on the fringes with a wide grin. For a moment she was confused, but as she joined him she could see what he found so amusing. Quilava and Riolu were locked together, each trying to come out on top of the other as they rolled about the camp laughing. _I guess they hit it off rather well._ She couldn't help but feel happy seeing Riolu smiling.

"I do have to admit she's cute," Rob said as she walked up behind him. When they entered the camp though Riolu quickly broke away, staring daggers at Rob. Gardevoir walked over and placed her hand gently on the fighting type's head. Rob pretended to ignore it, but the look of chagrin on his face gave him away.

"You didn't have to stop you know," Gardevoir said as they sat back down where they'd slept. Quilava was on his hind legs, looking at Riolu with his head tilted.

Riolu had a sour expression on her face though. "Why does he have to be here?" Gardevoir sighed. Explaining how she was bound to Rob probably wouldn't make Riolu feel any better so she decided against it, and she didn't even know why she was trying to get the pokemon to warm up to Rob.

"You should at least try to be nice, he's helping the both of us out. And you seemed to like Quilava, he trusts Rob." Gardevoir stroked Riolu's blue fur as she brooded.

"I guess," Riolu responded slowly, "but Quilava is different, I'm sure Rob wouldn't hesitate to use me." Blue hands grasped her side as Riolu pulled herself against Gardevoir, looking darkly over the campsite.

Gardevoir watched as Rob had quickly packed up their campsite and once again lead the group down the road back towards where they had started their journey. It was a peaceful day, few clouds overhead and a gentle breeze to make the trek pleasant.

"Riolu," Gardevoir sent to her companion, "are you going to be okay staying with Rob at his house?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be?" Riolu muttered up to her.

"You know what I mean." Gardevoir watched the others ahead of them, but kept her focus on the Riolu at her side.

"I won't do anything, but if they try to-" but Gardevoir cut her off.

"They won't."

"But if-"

"They won't," she emphasized to Riolu who had drawn herself up defensively. "They won't bother you, and I'll always be around. At least do this for me, please?"

"Do you know what it was like? With that future looming over you? Watching your own mother be..." Riolu didn't finish, and Gardevoir looked down sadly. She hadn't told Riolu of her own past, and she wouldn't burden the young pokemon with any more problems.

"They can't all be bad," Gardevoir whispered, as much to herself as Riolu.

Azalea Town came into sight as the sun prepared to make its descent for the day, the warm glow sending long shadows trailing behind them. Gardevoir could still see the slight limp in Rob's gait as they walked, but her trainer had retired his walking stick, and seemed to be getting along fine without it.

They walked into town, and not towards where she remembered Rob's home being. She was going to ask where they were going, but she wasn't completely sure where his house was, and the familiar sign of a pokemon center was in the direction they were headed. That was probably Rob's destination.

"I just wanted to make sure you guys are all okay after the attack, and it can't hurt anyway," Rob said to them as their group made its way into the pokemon center. It wasn't nearly as big as the one in Violet City, but it was also much quieter. There weren't even any other trainers in the lobby as they walked in.

The skin on the back of her neck prickled as she followed Rob in. It felt familiar, though she had no memory of the place. _Rob did say he took me to a pokemon center after I was caught, was this the place?_ Everything from that first day was foggy to her, but then how many pokemon centers could there be in one town.

"Gardevoir do you mind getting checked up?" Rob asked turning to her.

"Yes, I'm fine." She shied away from the desk, Riolu hiding behind her.

"Naturally." Rob glanced down at the splash of blue that was peeking out from behind her, but didn't say anything more before turning away to drop off his other two pokemon. After handing over two pokeballs to the nurse, Rob lead them over to the waiting area and they sat down, Riolu still hiding.

There was a cluster of those little boxes with people in them showing various things. Gardevoir didn't really pay attention to any of them, or that was until she saw an image that froze her heart. She knew that place.

"...grisly scene. Authorities say they were alerted to the house by an anonymous tip. It is estimated that the gruesome murders happened between two and three weeks ago although with the delay in discovering the incident, detectives are having a difficult time putting the facts together."

Gardevoir stared, fixated at the screen, its words echoing deafeningly in the calm of the pokemon center. Ice gripped her as the woman's voice continued, the camera panning across Wes' familiar house.

"Police are asking for any information on who could have murdered the reclusive trainer and dozens of the man's pokemon. There is also a substantial reward being offered for any information leading to the capture of the person responsible."

The box continued on but Gardevoir stopped listening. Trembling hands clutched at her gown. Murderer. She hadn't wanted to, she hadn't intended it to happen, but she couldn't stop it. Her eyes stung as she felt the blood running thickly down her hands. Murderer.

"Gardevoir that isn't you on the television is it?" Rob's words stopped her breath. She didn't move, her heart pounding in her ears, palms sweating. _What do I do, what will he do? I-I can't kill him, not that, but maybe if I knocked him out and ran I could..._

"Don't worry, I know why you did it. But maybe if you had tried to explain it then..." She couldn't believe what he was saying. Slowly, daringly she turned to look at him with wide eyes. As she turned though, she noticed the screen on the box had changed.

"...was tipped that a Kirlia matching the description was seen briefly outside the city on Route 33, anyone planning on traveling that way are advised to be careful on their journey. We'll return it to you John." The screen changed but Gardevoir's focus was back on Rob. Rob returned her gaze with a look of concern.

"I'm not angry with you, not after it saved my life, but just next time try and explain yourself a little better, I'm sure they would have been reasonable." Rob tried to give her a winning smile but she continued to gape at him. She breathed deep as she regained control of her body. He hadn't been talking about the murders, it was only the robbery._ Only the robbery._ The thought felt so casual, as if she was some kind of serial criminal. _But_ _I guess I am_.

"Gardevoir are you okay? It's not really that big of a deal, they said the person wasn't hurt, which by the way might have been over reacting just a bit, and you did it for a good reason. Or was it the other story? I wouldn't worry about it, they'll catch the monster responsible. I guess you keep getting shown the worst humanity has to offer, but really we'll be fine here in the city."

Gardevoir looked away from him quickly, afraid he'd see what she truly was if he looked into her eyes. She wanted to scream, to lash out, but there was no reason for her to be angry, this was all her fault. _Yes, that was no human, I'm the monster._ A hand gently touched her, running reassuringly along her back.

"Forget I mentioned it, I know it's been a rough couple of days. We're home now though, we can just take it easy for a bit, nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine, you'll see." His smile was so genuine that she almost believed it, and forced herself to smile lightly in return. It was a smile that never touched her eyes though.

The nurse came back some twenty minutes later with Quilava and Sandshrew trailing behind her, each looking revitalized.

"They're all set," the woman said with a smile and handed Rob the pokeballs back.

"Great, thanks, it's a relief to hear," he said with a wave and they departed from the pokemon center. Her stomach roiled as she followed Rob towards his home filled with a sense of unease. She wanted to vomit. The worst part was that she deserved to feel this way. She didn't want to think of it; she couldn't handle any more right now. With a deep breath she forced it back, blocking off everything she could as to stop it from bursting out of her. Not now.

Rob looked eager as they walked up the front steps of his home and opened the door. "I'm home!" He called out and stepped through the front door while Quilava and Sandshrew followed him in. Riolu seemed to hesitate, so she place an arm on her shoulder and gently pushed the nervous pokemon across the threshold.

"No one here will bother you," Gardevoir sent. The face of Rob's mother appeared around the corner of the hallway and broke into a wide grin, quickly beginning to make her way towards them, but halting suddenly.

"Oh my, Rob, well I must say this is unexpected." The woman's grin didn't falter but she swept her eyes over all of Rob's pokemon who were now crowding into the entrance of her house. The woman moved in to give Rob a quick hug and beckoned them in. "Why don't you come into the kitchen, there's more room." They moved further into the house, and as they did she could feel Riolu trying to hide in the folds of her gown.

The two humans had sat down at the table, Sandshrew remaining at Rob's side while Quilava rest his head on the woman's lap, her hand scratching the fire type behind his ears. Gardevoir stood awkwardly unsure of what to do.

"Gardevoir would you mind taking my pack into my room please?" She almost gaped at him before realizing what he was doing. She moved to grab the bag and met his gaze.

"Thank you," she sent him quietly, and he flashed her a smile before turning back to his mother. Gardevoir remembered the room she had stayed in, and brought both the bag and Riolu to it, closing the door behind them.

"Haha my boy, good to see you back in one piece," Rob's father's voice came booming through the wall, but Gardevoir pushed the noise from outside to the back of her mind. Dragging the pack a few feet into the room she let it drop against the wall. _How does he carry that thing all day?_ But she was just grasping for anything that would occupy her mind, any kind of distraction.

Riolu had release her as soon as she had closed the door, beginning to examine the room as Gardevoir threw herself onto Rob's bed. The soft mattress gave a false sense of comfort as her mind wanted to scream. And then there was movement on the bed with her.

"Gardevoir?" Riolu's small voice came from behind her. "What's wrong?" Gardevoir buried her face into the sheets, if there was ever a time she wanted to be alone it was now. What could she even say to Riolu?

"It's nothing," she forced out, harsher than she had intended. A furry paw touched her gently on the shoulder.

"I'm not blind." The small pokemon hugged her from behind, the touch of fur tickling her back as she dug her tiny claws into Rob's sheets. The room smelled faintly of him. Unease, her tormented thoughts, it all swirled in her mind, but at Riolu's embrace, she felt some of the weight lift.

"It's just been a long day." Gardevoir forced herself to smile as she turned so she could return the hug. She pulled Riolu close, resting her chin atop the soft blue fur of her friend's head. "Just a long day," and Gardevoir quickly found herself asleep.

It was dark when she woke with Riolu sleeping peacefully against her chest. There was no clock she could see in Rob's room, but there was silence throughout the house. Gardevoir gently pulled herself away from the sleeping pokemon and got off the bed. She exited Rob's room and stepped out into the dark building, feeling her way around.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she began to make out her surroundings, and moved to the room where Rob was lying. He was sound asleep on the large couch with Quilava stretched out beside him, and Sandshrew curled up in a ball by their feet. None stirred as she entered the room.

On the table near the couch there were three red and white spheres, and Gardevoir easily picked out the one that bound her, taking the small device in her hand. She sat down, looking at the red and white orb, feeling its hold over her.

There was a sense of unease and dread in the pit of her stomach, just like before they were attacked. It waned and flared, as if unable to decide, but it was ever present. And then there was the woman in the box, talking about her crimes. They were hunting her. Everything was beginning to converge on her, she could feel it, and staying would only wrap everyone else up with her problems.

With the pokeball in her hand, she could leave. Rob couldn't stop her from escaping, and she'd be miles away before he even noticed her gone. She could save them from what was coming, from being associated with her. She could leave.


	9. Caught

"Gardevoir?" Rob's voice. Slowly, she lifted her head, groggily opening her eyes as she sat up. Why was she sleeping on the floor? She had been contemplating running away and put her head down to think and... Her stomach sank as she felt the small sphere still in her hand.

"Gardevoir." It was almost a sigh. There was no anger in his voice, but she was still nervous as she finally looked up to meet his eyes. Weary eyes. "I, I just want you to answer me for once. Do you want me to release you, truly release you this time?"

Her eyes widened with shock. What did she want? Everything she had thought had changed since meeting Rob, and now she was nothing but a danger to him. She looked back down at the floor.

"Yes." Her mental voice was hoarse and quiet. Silence hung in the air, neither of them moving. Gardevoir barely endeavored to breathe. It may have only been seconds, but to her it felt like an eternity as she stared at the floor, hoping that he would stop her.

The silence was finally shattered by Rob's quiet voice. "Then look me in the eye and say it, and I will release you."

Gardevoir glanced up at him, looking at a face painted with hurt and sadness. She couldn't do it, could never summon the words. Her hand stirred motes of dust in the morning light as she placed the pokeball back on the table.

"I can't," she choked out and stood quickly. "I have to go check on Riolu." Without looking at him she started off towards Rob's room. A hand on her wrist stopped her.

"No, if you hate me, then why? I'm giving you the chance, so why don't you leave?" Rob pulled her to face him, but she couldn't meet his eyes. Her heart thumped in her chest as she tried to hold back tears. The heat from Rob's palm against her skin pulled at her, making her want to tell him everything, but nothing good would come of that.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked him, his body still except for the tight grip on her wrist.

"Of course I don't, but you refuse to talk to me, and then this morning I found you as if you wanted to run away. I won't keep you here if you're that desperate to leave." There was no accusation in his soft voice. It was worn and tired, confused, but not angry.

She finally found the courage to look into his eyes, there was one last thing she could do. "Can I ask one thing of you?" She blushed, hoping he wouldn't notice her hesitation, or understand the meaning of what she was about to do. It was an act usually reserved for one's mate, but it would allow her to see into the depths of Rob's heart; he would be able to keep nothing from her.

"I trust you completely," Rob said, looking directly into her eyes. Gardevoir wrapped her free hand around Rob's, who still had her own wrist in his grip. She pulled the hand away and encircled his wrist with both of hers. Psychic energy coursed through her as she embraced as much as she could gather, filling herself with the wonderful power.

Rob could doubtless feel some of it through her touch, but he kept his eyes fixed on hers. With one last blush, she pressed his palm against the red fin on her chest. Gardevoir gasped in shock at the feeling. A fraction of a second stretched into an eternity. Feeling overwhelmed her, and for a moment she forgot her physical body, floating on the emotions flowing into her from Rob.

He was laid bare to her. His deepest feelings, emotion he may not even be aware of. His desires and prejudices, everything was presented to her. And she saw. A rattling breath refilled her lungs as the experience ended, and she stumbled forward, Rob catching her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a slight look of concern as he supported her trembling form. She breathed heavily, wanting to stay in his warmth, but she pulled away, steadying herself.

"I'm fine," she replied, staring at the floor.

"What was that for, what did you do?" he asked taking a step towards her.

"I found the truth." Gardevoir turned and began to walk away.

"Are you staying then?" He still sounded confused, but she couldn't be around him right now. She didn't know if she could explain herself to him anyway.

"I will stay, but you don't deserve to be around scum like me." She didn't stop walking away to deliver her response.

Rob's eyes followed her with a stunned expression, but he didn't follow. Gardevoir made her way back to Rob's room and closed the door gently behind her. Light played against her skin in the warm room as she made her way back to Rob's bed, curling up with the still slumbering Riolu. Without disturbing the sleeping pokemon, she snuggled up against the furry creature, desperate for any comfort.

There was nothing he could have hid from her. What she had seen, felt, was the pure truth. Rob was a good person. The soft sheets covering the bed absorbed a stray tear that leaked gently down her face. After being caught, she had wanted to vilify Rob, blame all of her problems on him and his kind. But there was nothing she could lay at his feet now.

He cared about her, his other pokemon, even Riolu. He cared deeply for them, would give his life for them. And she had wanted to hate him. Now what? She wrapped her arms around Riolu and closed her eyes, hoping that some great epiphany would present itself in her dreams.

A scratchy knock came at the door sometime later, waking both Gardevoir and Riolu up. A small growl came from her left as Riolu faced off with the door, but Gardevoir sat up slowly. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen back to sleep. Tendrils of psychic energy reached out to determine who was on the other side of the door. Where she usually couldn't tell human from pokemon, she could almost see Quilava through the solid wooden door.

"Come in," she sent to him, and after quickly realizing that he wouldn't be able to reach the door handle, got up and opened it. The look on Quilava's face wasn't one she was used to seeing from the bold fire type. _Is that hesitation?_ "Did you want something?"

After seeing who it was and checking to make sure Rob wasn't accompanying, Riolu hopped off the bed and joined them. Quilava flashed a quick smile.

"Rob left breakfast for you Riolu," Quilava said. A nervous heat made small ripples in the air above the fire type's back. "There's some for you too Gardevoir, of course." She however received no part of his smile. "We can also go run around the back yard if you wanted, Rob and his parents are gone for the day." His attention was completely back on Riolu. _Subtle as ever_.

Riolu seemed completely ignorant of Quilava's tone however and looked up at Gardevoir happily. Her blue furred friend made as if to say something, but she cut Riolu off.

"Go eat, I'm going to go lie down for a bit longer," she sent so they both could hear her and gave Riolu a pat on the head. Riolu frowned at her for a moment, but after a little further encouragement from Quilava, the two of them disappeared around the corner as Gardevoir returned to bed. So Rob had gone and left Quilava here. The mere thought of food was like ash in her mouth. Gardevoir clawed a bundle of sheets to her chest, breathing in the faint smell of her trainer, and closed her eyes.

* * *

Rob strode down the sidewalk at a quick pace with Sandshrew by his side. The sunlight glared down relentlessly on the two of them as they walked, mirroring Rob's mood. Well not precisely, he wasn't angry, exactly. Frustrated. He paid little attention to his surroundings as they walked, he didn't even have a destination in mind, he just needed to be moving.

"What am I missing?" he asked out loud, not really intending to receive an answer. Nothing that Gardevoir did made any sense to him. But that look she had given him before retreating to his room this morning. A strange mix of regret, sorrow and, was it awe? _You aren't scum Gardevoir, I don't care what anyone has told you before, they were the scum._

No, he wasn't angry, not at Gardevoir anyway, at himself maybe. The sidewalk curved gently as they left the suburban district and started to head more towards downtown. His frustration fed on itself, cycling through in his mind. He had never been good at dealing with his anger. Overall he had always been a pretty calm person, hard to get worked up over anything, but when it did happen... No good decisions were ever made while angry.

There was a bench on the side of the walkway, and he sat down with a sigh, Sandshrew hopping up beside him.

"Is it something I'm doing wrong?" he asked Sandshrew, though he received no response. His pokemon merely looked up at him with those large black eyes, gleaming in the morning sunlight. Rob rested his face in his hands. It had been hard forcing himself to practically ignore Gardevoir during their travels, but she had always seemed to want her space.

Something had to change soon; that's all he could hope for. The trip into town wasn't just to blow off some steam however, he did have business to attend to, so he got up and the pair began walking again. Hopefully Quilava was enjoying his break playing with Riolu; the incident on Route 32 still seemed to be haunting him despite his efforts to hide it.

* * *

After spending a while listlessly tossing about in Rob's bed, Gardevoir eventually worked up the energy to drag herself out into the house. Through one of the large windows in the kitchen she could see Riolu and Quilava in the back yard looking as if they were sparring. A solitary bowl rested on the counter with what she assumed was her breakfast. _I should have told him to release me._

Taking the food she opened the sliding door in the kitchen and walked out into the heavy, warm spring air. It was a muggy day, unaccommodating to the level of activity Riolu and Quilava were engaged in, and Gardevoir could already feel a light sheen of damp covering her body as she sat down. The other two pokemon were both panting heavily, but Riolu was apparently not ready to call it quits. Riolu's blue body was slowly covered by a gentle orange light as Quilava wrapped himself in intense flames.

Gardevoir could feel the heat radiating off the fire type from where she sat, a heat haze rippling the air above Quilava. He dashed towards Riolu cloaked in an inferno as he struck. Riolu set herself to take the attack as her body glowed with a faint orange light. The two connected. Sparks danced through the air as flame met steel.

Riolu stood firm as her counterattack sent Quilava flying backwards. He hit the ground a few feet away and rolled before lying sprawled out on his back. Riolu grinned happily before running over towards Quilava and plopping down on the grass next to him.

"Well I think you definitely have your counter down," Quilava said panting.

Riolu gave him an equally exhausted giggle. "Think so? All thanks to you." The pair of them lay there, heads close together trying to catch their breath. Gardevoir watched the two of them while trying to ignore the oppressive heat of the day, which was not made any better by Quilava's powerful fire attacks.

A short time later the two of them had fallen asleep, Quilava curled up in a ball and Riolu resting her large head against his back. Gardevoir couldn't help but smile at the two of them, happy and uncaring. She could almost let herself get caught up in it, but she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

Her psychic powers had become much stronger after having evolved, though why they still weren't anything like she'd imagined or heard about from the other psychic types. The abilities she had been promised continued to elude her. Releasing tendrils of psychic power around her, she felt as if one with her surroundings. She could feel Riolu and Quilava, the grass, trees, the empty house behind her. If she focused she could even note the distinct variations between the two pokemon's psychic energies. Nothing out of the ordinary though.

Maybe if she had someone to teach her, show her what she was doing wrong, then her powers wouldn't be so useless, but it didn't seem like there were very many psychic types around. And it would probably be a fruitless endeavor anyway, the other psychic types had learned their abilities naturally. The only thing she was good for was killing.

The humidity seemed to sap the energy from her just as it had put the other two to sleep, and she found it a struggle to keep her eyes open. She hadn't even done anything to warrant the lethargy that filled her. A short nap couldn't hurt, and she could try and see if she could maintain her psychic awareness while sleeping. That seemed like a good enough reason to her. With that Gardevoir settled into the grass and closed her eyes against the hot rays of the sun, allowing the warm breeze to accompany her to sleep.

Two beings were approaching. Gardevoir woke slowly. Her abilities had worked apparently, as Rob and Sandshrew's return had been detected even while sleeping. When she opened her eyes though, they were already walking out of the house. So much for an early warning.

A glance at the sky showed she had slept for a little over an hour, maybe two. Rob sat down near her, distant despite the physical proximity. He wore a faint smile as he glanced over the two sleeping pokemon.

"I scheduled a gym match for tomorrow," Rob said, not really looking towards her. His faint smile seemed fixed in place. "You mind accompanying me?"

"I'm your pokemon," Gardevoir sent directly into Rob's mind.

Rob glanced at her. "You know what I mean."

"What about Riolu?" she asked.

"She'll have to stay here unless she's willing to be captured."

"Better not let her hear you say that," Gardevoir replied.

Rob gave her a rueful chuckle. "Yeah I suppose so. I know I shouldn't sound so confident, but I don't think we'll be gone long. Between your strength and Quilava's type advantage, we shouldn't have a problem. And sorry buddy but you're at a type disadvantage once again, though I think you could still take one of his bugs down," he said with a consoling pat on Sandshrew's tough hide. Sandshrew smiled in return.

"So," Rob began as he looked directly at her, sizing her up. "What was that you did this morning?" he asked.

"It was nothing," she replied.

"Gardevoir, you don't have to be so secretive about everything, and obviously it wasn't nothing. You looked so dejected after." Rob turned to examine Gardevoir's forlorn vigil of the ground in front of her.

"Why do you even keep asking, why do you care? It isn't going to change anything."

There was a confused look on Rob's face as he looked at her sadly. "You saved my life, aren't we at least friends?"

"With me? The last friend I had died because of me. I'm not worth it."

"Gardevoir..."  
"You don't even know what I did before you captured me, I could have been a murderer," she said, a fist clenching at her side.

Rob moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She tried to pull away but he didn't relent, hugging her close against his side. It was too much. Thinking back on Abra, Rob's firm yet gentle grasp, she pressed her face into Rob's side. She grabbed his shirt possessively.

"You're only going to regret this," she whispered to Rob with tears stinging her eyes.

"Whatever your previous owner made you do, it wasn't your fault," Rob said to the top of her head. A hand ran through her hair. While she had been able to examine everything he felt when he had touched the fin on her chest, the motivations behind those emotions were still a mystery. His actions didn't make any sense to her. But she had no idea what else to do, so she lost herself in Rob's comforting arms, breathing his scent, and remembering.

"Feeling any better?" Rob asked a time later. Whether it had been minutes or hours she couldn't tell. Gardevoir had been enjoying just being held, having someone to lean on again. Since Abra... She pulled away at his words.

"Sure," she replied quietly. It was early evening now, and some of the day's heat had dispersed. Rob was looking down at her with a warming smile.

"You ready to meet my parents now?" he asked. She only blinked at him in response, unsure exactly what he meant. After a brief pause Rob laughed. "Sorry it was a bad joke, human humor. Though my parents have been asking about my enigmatic psychic type. I've just been telling them you're shy, but they're impressed by you."

"They shouldn't be," she muttered, earning a slight frown from Rob, but he continued on.

"Riolu was harder to explain away, so I might end up cutting our stay here short. I hate to burden my parents as it is. We can take it easy on the way to Goldenrod though, I hear it's nice this time of year, right near the water."

Gardevoir couldn't tell if it was an act or not. She could feel the warmth of his emotions, happiness, compassion, but there was also a darker undertone. Frustration, anger, the faintest traces of hatred. It was barely noticeable, yet the stark contrast made them stand out as silhouettes against a brilliant horizon. Not that it mattered, not to her.

"Actually that sounds like them now," Rob said in response to an odd sound coming from the other side of the house. "Want to just say hi for a minute, for me?"

After a moment Gardevoir acquiesced. "I guess."

"And please at least act like you don't hate me."

"I don't hate you," Gardevoir admitted in almost a whisper, not looking at Rob.

"I just meant cheer up a bit, things could be worse." Rob helped her to her feet and ruffled her hair with a smile. "Now c'mon."

Gardevoir followed him into the house. Sandshrew who had been sitting on the other side of Rob also followed them in. The three of them leaving the two sleeping pokemon to enjoy their rest, peacefully snuggled together in the grass.

Just as they were entering the kitchen, Rob's parents walked into the house as well. They were carrying a few small bags that carried a pleasant aroma with them. Some kind of human food no doubt.

"Hello," the older woman's cheery voice rang out as they walked in and set the bags down on one of the counters. Gardevoir was quickly rethinking her decision to accompany Rob inside. It wasn't that the other two humans seemed even remotely threatening, quite the opposite, but they still made her uncomfortable. She resisted the urge to embrace her psychic powers.

"Hi Mom, hi Dad," Rob greeted them. "And I even got Gardevoir here to come say hi."

"I see that, well hello Gardevoir, nice to meet you," the woman said turning to Gardevoir with an inviting smile.

Her whole body was tensed; a trained eye would pick it up. It was bad to show an enemy you were afraid. They would use that fear against you.

"Um, hi," she said broadcasting her telepathic speech to everyone in the kitchen while trying to inconspicuously move closer to Rob.

"Well, will you be joining us for dinner?" Rob's mother asked as she moved about the kitchen, taking out dishes and utensils, and Rob's father began removing containers from the bags. "There's more than enough."

"She will," Rob quickly answered for her, and she glared at him.

"I only said I'd come in," Gardevoir sent to Rob, but he merely grinned at her.

"Well good then. Sit down, sit down, everything will be ready in just a moment," the woman said, deftly setting the table with practiced efficiency. Gardevoir hesitated before taking a seat at the table next to Rob and still attempting to shoot him reproachful looks at being roped into this. Rob's father soon joined them at the table, placing the food at the center.

Rob's mother sat across from Gardevoir. "Dig in."

"So Gardevoir, Rob said you were the saving grace against his fight with Falkner," the older man said as he began to take from some of the containers in the center of the table.

"I suppose so," Gardevoir responded as she watched the others, trying to figure out how to go about acquiring some food. Rob must have noticed her confused look and swapped plates with her, having already filled his with a variety of food. "Thanks," she sent to him.

The others were all using the small silvery tools to eat their food with. Gardevoir picked up her own set and looked down at the plate of food. Rob had called them forks, but she felt it would be much easier to just eat with her hands. It looked as if she were supposed to be using the fork though, and she tried her best to grasp the utensil with hands that just weren't made for the task.

"Well we're glad he has a strong pokemon to look after him, I'm sure you'll be able to keep him out of any trouble," Rob's father said with a smile.

"You didn't tell them?" Gardevoir asked Rob, speaking only to him. A slight shake of the head was the only response she got from Rob, not looking away from his meal.

"So has Rob been training you or did you do much fighting while you were in the wild? I must say this is the first time I've really gotten to talk with a psychic type," Rob's father asked. Gardevoir didn't like questions; she didn't want any of them to know more about her than was necessary. Rob looked like he was ready to interject if she wanted, but she might as well answer herself.

"I fought often enough, though Rob is a good trainer." Of course they would only care about her fighting ability. She didn't particularly care what the two older humans thought of her. Rob obviously cared for them, but she had no such feelings.

Gardevoir stabbed at some sort of vegetable on her plate with the fork. After changing her grip she took a large bite out of it. It was warm and sweet, a marvel as were all of the human foods. From the corner of her eye she could see Rob trying to hide a smile, but she could feel his mirth radiating next to her.

The others continued their conversation without her, and Gardevoir paid little attention to them. Instead she struggled to get the metal fork to work correctly. She had tried to emulate the humans and how they held the device but achieved little success. So she continued to hold the fork in her fist and spear her food. It was tedious work. She should just use her hands; it almost wasn't worth the effort.

At some point during her battle with the fork, Rob's parents had gotten up and began clearing off the table.

"Take your time," Rob's mother told her as she finished clearing the table. "Rob can take care of that when you're finished. It was nice to meet you."

Gardevoir stared down at her half eaten meal and metallic nemesis. "Yeah, thanks." Once Rob's parents left with Sandshrew to go watch the people in the small box in front of the couch; she abandoned the fork.

"I can show you how to hold the fork if you'd like." Rob chuckled as Gardevoir picked up a piece of food with her tiny claws and popped it into her mouth.

Gardevoir blushed slightly but didn't pick the fork back up. "They're unnecessary," she said continuing to eat. Rob only smiled broadly. Without having to struggle with utensils, Gardevoir quickly finished eating.

"Hey thanks for doing this for me," Rob said clearing off the rest of the table. "And thanks for saying I'm a good trainer."

Gardevoir paused. "You're a good person."

"Now you're just toying with me," Rob said with a laugh as he turned from the sink to look at her. Gardevoir looked down at the table before getting up.

"I should go check on Riolu." And without looking up she moved to the door and went outside. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dimming evening after being underneath the artificial light of Rob's home. The air had lost its density and now a cool breeze caressed her skin, gown rippling slightly. Stars glimmered in the sky overhead, accented by the white crest of the moon. Quilava and Riolu were sitting together, talking quietly.

The two others looked up at her as she approached, Riolu in delight, Quilava in annoyance.

"Hey Gardevoir," Riolu said merrily. "Quilava was just saying that you and he are going to be fighting tomorrow, it sounds like fun, are you excited?" The blue furred pokemon sure seemed to be, though Gardevoir wasn't quite feeling it herself.

"Um, sure," Gardevoir lied. "Are you guys hungry? Rob is probably going to want to get up early, you should get something to eat before bed." Her words were meant more for Riolu, as Quilava knew full well Rob like to wake early.

Quilava sighed and gave Gardevoir an apologetic look. "You're right, we probably should go in." The two got up and all three of them entered the house. Riolu immediately took up a defensive posture while sticking close to Gardevoir's side now that Rob was in sight. While not quite as fierce as a day ago, Rob's inviting smile was not returned.

"You can take your meal into my room if you'd like Riolu," Rob offered, preparing some food and handing it to Gardevoir since Riolu had backed away from him.

"Are you sure you don't want to sleep in your room, we can sleep on the couch or even outside." Gardevoir had been feeling guilty about taking Rob's rooms ever since returning, and while he probably wouldn't bring it up himself...

"Don't be silly, it's fine. Besides, it's probably best for everyone," he said in a low voice before withdrawing after handing her the plate. Gardevoir was going to argue, but at the look he gave her, she let it go. It would probably only be a few more days anyway.

"C'mon," Gardevoir said ushering Riolu towards Rob's room and closing the door behind them. "So did you have a nice day?" Gardevoir asked as they settled into Rob's cushy bed, and Riolu tore into her dinner.

"Yeah," Riolu said through a mouthful off food. "Quilava is nice to me, much nicer than any of the boys my trainer owned. Hey do you think I'd be able to fight in one of those gym battles?"

Gardevoir put her hand on Riolu's head, running fingers through blue fur. "I'm sorry, but the humans won't let you compete in their battles without a trainer."

"What? But why?" Riolu whined looking up at Gardevoir.

"It's just their rules," Gardevoir explained. "And, well, are you going to be okay staying here alone for a little while tomorrow?"

"I can't even come and watch? I'll be fine," Riolu pouted and placed her half eaten meal on the nightstand next to some device that Rob had said was used to tell time. "I'm going to sleep."

Gardevoir sighed but turned the lights off as she watched Riolu wrap the blanket around herself and turn away. "Goodnight," Gardevoir whispered before wrapping her arms around the small blue pokemon and joining Riolu in slumber.

A quiet tapping on the door woke Gardevoir early. As quietly as she could manage, she pulled herself away from Riolu, trying not to wake the still sleeping pokemon. Rob was waiting for her in the hallway.

"Ready?" Rob asked as she walked out into the hall.

"Yeah," Gardevoir said through a yawn. "What time is the match?"

"We're the first match of the day, so there shouldn't be too many people there. Not that there's ever too many here, unlike Violet." Rob turned and began walking towards the kitchen. Gardevoir followed.

"Will your parents be watching?" Gardevoir asked.

"No, I would be lying if I said that wasn't also a factor in the match time, but they're both working," Rob said preparing a quick breakfast for them. Quilava and Sandshrew were already waiting in the kitchen when they entered. Quilava didn't look too thrilled about being awake either.

"Do you not like them?" Gardevoir asked.

"Haha of course I do, but I dunno, too much pressure. I'd rather have the hundreds of people I don't know watching than my parents."

"You didn't tell them about what happened to us either," she pointed out.

Rob's expression darkened slightly. "It would have only made them worry, and they already worry enough about me wandering through the wilderness."

"Bringing up the past never helps anyone." Gardevoir's eyes met Rob's.

"That isn't what I meant." Rob finished preparing breakfast, and the four of them ate in silence.

The crisp morning air woke Gardevoir up as soon as they left the house and began their walk towards the gym. A chilly breeze gently swirled around them as they walked, a stark contrast to the previous day's humidity. Rob was talking with his other pokemon, discussing strategy for their upcoming match, though the way he was talking seemed like they had discussed things already.

What he had said the other day was most likely right. She was stronger, much stronger than she had been. Despite not having the chance to test out her new abilities against an opponent yet, the feeling of energy, the expansion of her mind. There was no doubt in her mind that she was more dangerous than ever. She didn't want to think what would happen if she lost control of herself now.

As they continued into town the familiar bustle of the human establishments started creeping up. People walked about, some with trailing pokemon such as Rob. Others passed by in odd looking clothing, and some sat outside and ate. It would have been interesting to understand why humans did things, what the purpose of all of the differences in them were or what their wildly different clothing meant. Maybe she'd ask Rob sometime. Though she couldn't even use a fork still, and the symbols that they used for reading were as foreign as ever.

The gym came into view not long after entering what seemed to be the center of the human town, or at least one of the busier sections anyway. It was much different than the one in Violet City. A large glass dome covered a majority of the building, and overall it was wide and short, unlike the narrow towering structure of the previous gym. The four of them entered.

Inside was quiet, and only a single man sat behind the front desk.

"May I help you?" the man inquired, smiling as their group approached.

"Hi," Rob greeted. "I'm here for a gym match."

"Oh of course, right over this way. I'm also the referee here so I can take care of all the pre-match stuff." The man led them to a small office and grabbed a few papers. "You are allowed up to three pokemon, and once they are recalled or declared unable to continue, they are out of the fight," he explained, making some notations on the forms. "Are these the three you'll be using?"

"Yeah," Rob replied with a slight smile. Gardevoir could feel the excitement and anticipation that was building up in him. After a few more minutes and signatures, they were led into the gym's arena where Bugsy was waiting.

"Well well," the gym leader smiled as he shook Rob's hand. "I must say I wasn't expecting to see you back here so soon. I trust Falkner wasn't too hard on you?" Sunlight gleamed in through the large glass ceiling that created a small greenhouse for the large amount of vegetation that grew inside the gym.

"Not at all, it was a good match," Rob said returning the man's smile.

"Well it seems that the Cyndaquil I gave you is doing well," Bugsy noted, looking at the fire type who was standing on his hind legs next to Rob, eager for the match to begin. "And Gardevoir, how did you come to accompany this young man?" the gym leader asked, turning to face her. Why was this human talking with her?

"He rescued me," she replied after a moment, examining the man.

"It's a long story," Rob added, seeing Gardevoir's discomfort.

"I see. Well, nevertheless, how about we get down to the real reason you're here," Bugsy said and headed towards the large verdant arena that sat amongst the trees. "I'm sorry there's not much of a crowd but I don't think I've ever had someone schedule a match this early.

"It's not a problem for me," Rob called back taking his spot in the challenger's box. The man who had been at the front desk now appeared off to the side of the arena.

"Is the challenger ready?" the referee asked. Rob waved in acknowledgment. "Send out your first pokemon."

With a breath, Rob stood up straighter and took on a confident air. "Sandshrew, go!" The ground type took his place on the field and awaited Bugsy's first pokemon. Reaching for his belt, the gym leader took a pokeball and threw it into the air, and with a bright flash, a Spinarak was deposited onto the field.

The spider-like pokemon clicked its mandibles together and skittered to the center of its half of the arena. The two pokemon squared themselves off and waited on the referee's call.

"Begin!"

Spinarak scuttled forward on its six legs, but Sandshrew immediately plunged below the ground, disappearing from sight. Spinarak froze as his opponent hid underground, trying to feel out where the attack would be coming from. Before long though the ground to Spinarak's left erupted as Sandshrew leapt out. The spider pokemon was unable to react quickly enough and took two long scratches from Sandshrew's claws.

After an order from Bugsy the Spinarak turned to launch a poison sting, but Sandshrew had once again retreated underground. Gardevoir looked up at Rob to see a confident gleam in his eye. Obviously this had been one of the strategies he had planned out earlier. He had yet to give a single order so far. That was good, but she wouldn't count on one of these gym leaders to fall for the same tactic more than a few times, no matter how disarming Bugsy had acted. She could see the experience behind the leader's eyes, he wasn't worried yet.

Sandshrew continued his hit and run tactics, once again scoring a hit on Spinarak, but the spider was learning Sandshrew's pattern. And to her, it seemed like Spinarak was beginning to bait Sandshrew.

"String shot!" Bugsy ordered from across the arena as Sandshrew dug into the earth again. Spinarak began coating the ground in silky webs, standing in the middle of them. Spinarak jumped back from where the webbing was pushed up by Sandshrew's dig attack. The small ground pokemon immediately became snared in the spider's webs, thrashing about to try and free himself.

"Poison sting!" Bugsy cried.

Rob's shouted warning came too late to do any good, and Spinarak lunged. The stinger on top of its head stabbing into Sandshrew's belly, causing him to cry out. It was hard to make out what was going on from the sidelines but eventually Sandshrew freed himself from the webs and fled back underground. His hit and run tactics wouldn't work anymore though, and with the poison now coursing through his veins, he was running out of time.

Rob had lost a little of his surety in the last engagement, but he met Bugsy's smile with a smirk of his own.

"String shot," Bugsy ordered his pokemon, and Spinarak began to lay its trap of webs once again. Sandshrew didn't fall for it.

"End it, sand attack," Rob called out as Sandshrew appeared a short distance behind Spinarak. As the spider turned Sandshrew kicked up a cloud of debris from the ground, launching it at Spinarak. Caught by surprise the spider recoiled, blinded by the dirt, and Sandshrew leapt. Tiny claws made short work of the spider. Spinarak landed another blow with the poisoned stinger atop its head but Sandshrew didn't relent.

Claws flashed and tore at Sandshrew's foe. Webs still clung to the ground pokemon, but the round was soon over. Sandshrew threw Bugsy's pokemon one final time where it ceased to move, bleeding from a number of tiny claw marks.

"Bugsy's pokemon is unable to continue," the referee announced and the gym leader recalled his pokemon. Sandshrew began to make his way back towards Rob's side of the field but stumbled, clearly fatigued from his bout, and the poison would be beginning to take its toll.

"Great job Sandshrew," Rob said to his pokemon but didn't wait for Sandshrew to reach the challenger's box, recalling him from a distance.

"The challenger has recalled his pokemon, both of you send out your next pokemon." The referee motioned for Bugsy to go first. A Ledyba was sent out onto the gym leader's side, and Rob motioned Quilava forward.

"Begin!"

Instead of a more defensive match like the previous, this one started off with fiery aggression. Flames tore across the field, whipping the air into a shimmering haze as the vegetation withered beneath the intense heat. Ledyba shied away from the flames and Quilava used this to gain ground on his flying opponent. He looked determined not to lose to another winged enemy.

Quilava didn't relent as he dashed forward, constantly shooting small jets of flame to keep Ledyba on the defensive. When Quilava reached his foe though, Ledyba let out a terrible sound. Gardevoir herself flinched away from the noise, even being on the sidelines. Quilava on the other hand staggered forward, forgetting about his attacks. Reeling, Quilava tried to regain his bearings but Ledyba swooped in, raining blows on the fire type's head. Quilava fell to the ground, but under the lightning quick blows, his body blazed to life.

Ledyba squealed at the roaring flames and Quilava leapt back up, engulfing the bug in embers. It was a quick fight, but Bugsy was forced to recall his pokemon. Ledyba just wasn't able to stand up to the fire type.

"The challenger leads with two pokemon to one. Bugsy, send out your final pokemon."

Quilava returned to his starting position, easily shaking off the Ledyba's brief attacks and preparing for the final round. Bugsy threw his final pokeball, releasing a Scyther onto the arena's field. The imposing bug flashed gleaming scythes and growled across the field.

"Remember what I said," Rob called to Quilava who nodded in response, not taking his eyes off of Scyther.

"Begin." The referee's call becoming familiar in the otherwise quiet gym. Gossamer wings sprouted behind Scyther, and this time it was Quilava who was rushed. Standing on his hind legs, Quilava waited until Scyther was close to shoot flames at the oncoming bug. An adroit dodge from his opponent however brought the Scyther inches to the side of the crackling flames, and a large blade scored a hit to Quilava's side.

Quilava gasped and jumped back, clutching at a spreading red line on his tan fur. He growled at the Scyther who now stood hovering inches above the ground, wings humming loudly. Quilava advanced. Then with a quick dash he charged, breathing fire as he approached the stationary bug with a large wave of fire. Scyther was incredibly quick though. In barely a blink, Scyther was behind Quilava, dragging a savage blade down across Quilava's back.

The fire type cried out and defensively shot flames behind him, but Scyther was already gone. Blood ran heavily down dark blue fur. This fight wasn't going as planned at all.

"Do it now," Rob called out. "He's too quick for you; we've got one shot left." Quilava nodded at Rob's words. Scyther moved in once more, but this time Quilava released smoke all around the two of them. Thick, choking clouds of inky smoke quickly covered the arena. Gardevoir could hear Scyther coughing in the billowing darkness, and that must have been what Quilava wanted.

Fire and smoke erupted from the cloud, Quilava covered in flames from his fire spin attack, and landed on Scyther's chest as the pair of them crashed to the ground. Scyther's wings were crushed as they hit, and neither pokemon relented. The flames leaping around Quilava's body scorched Scyther, leaving nasty burns along the bug's carapace. Bugsy's pokemon wasn't ready to give up either though. It thrashed underneath the relentless fire, throwing fur and blood to the floor with its large bladed arms. Quilava bellowed but as a last act roared flames into the bug's face.

Gardevoir held her hand up against the flash of heat. Scyther flailed harder, but the bug pokemon's movements became more erratic and soon stopped all together. Quilava rolled off his downed opponent.

"Bugsy is out of pokemon, Rob from Azalea town is the winner!" the referee called out but Rob was already running to Quilava. Gardevoir followed less quickly behind. Rob scooped Cyndaquil up in his arms as Bugsy's pokemon disappeared in a flash of red light.

"You did amazing," Rob said cradling Quilava in his arms.

Quilava licked at a wound on one of his paws as if in a daze. "I cooked that bug."

Rob ruffled the injured pokemon's fur gently, avoiding a large slice running from one ear and down Quilava's back. "I'll get you patched up soon," Rob said and returned Quilava to a pokeball. He stood up as Bugsy approached.

"Well, it was a good fight, you had obviously planned out your strategy before coming here, and I didn't even get to see your Gardevoir in action. It takes something special to earn the respect of such a powerful pokemon, especially considering I watched you starting off only a few weeks ago," Bugsy said. Gardevoir searched the man with her eyes, but Rob only laughed.

"I don't think you got the right impression," Rob said grinning. Bugsy and Gardevoir looked intently at each other a moment longer before he turned his focus back to Rob.

"Well, who am I to say. Either way, you've earned this badge." Bugsy presented a shiny red and black object to Rob who took it with a grin. "At the rate you've been going I'm sure you're eager to be off and work towards your next badge. Once you get yourself a couple more though, and you find yourself in town, stop by again. I can get my real team some practice, they're rusty, not many strong trainers come by this way anymore."

"Haha I'll have to take you up on that some time," Rob said shaking the gym leader's hand.

"Well then, how about you go get those pokemon of yours healed up." Bugsy lead them out of the gym. Gardevoir followed behind as the two humans exchanged a few more words of goodbye. She had forgotten how cool the day was outside after being in the warm greenhouse and surrounded by Quilava's flames. Rob walked half a step in front of her as they made their way to the pokemon center, Gardevoir following automatically.

"So, another gym down, how did we do?" Rob asked jovially as they walked.

"Good, you adapted much quicker this time, and they fought hard. Also having a strategy helped, you should give as few verbal commands as possible. Some trainers even used code words back when..." Gardevoir trailed off but her focus wasn't really on the fight. No, that human Bugsy, he was what bothered her. After the first gym match she had been too overwhelmed with – other things – to notice, but she was beginning to think there was more to the whole thing.

Bugsy was dangerous. He didn't look it, and his age would put him at not much older than Rob if she was guessing correctly, but that man had scared her. There was much those eyes had hidden, but there was also much they gave away. That human had seen many things.

"So, how does a quick lunch sound after I get the others healed up? And I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow," Rob continued, almost bouncing along the sidewalk as they passed a steady stream of other humans and their pokemon.

"Uh, yeah that sounds fine." She looked up to see they had already made it to the pokemon center. The place still made her slightly uneasy. A nurse inside quickly took Rob's two pokeballs and returned before long. After Rob thanked the nurse they left; Gardevoir was glad they didn't stay long.

"I'll let the others out when we get home, we can celebrate there. What do you want to eat?" Rob asked.

"It doesn't matter to me," Gardevoir replied.

"You could at least pretend to be interested. You aren't upset you didn't get to fight are you?"

"No it's not that, it's just... What did you think of Bugsy?" Gardevoir wasn't sure if she should even bother him about it, but she couldn't get the man out of her head.

"The gym leader? He's a really nice guy, he's the one who gave me Cyndaquil. Why do you ask?" Rob turned into a small shop that was giving off a pleasing aroma.

Gardevoir followed him in. "I don't know, he just felt. I can't even explain it. Never mind, it was probably nothing."

Rob gave her a searching look but shrugged and walked to the counter to order their food. After a short wait they were heading back to Rob's house.

"Well it's still standing," Rob noted as he opened the front door and they made their way inside.

"Yeah I'll go see what she's up to." Gardevoir headed to Rob's room.

"We'll be outside," she heard Rob call from the kitchen. Opening the door she was immediately greeted by Riolu.

"You're back!" Riolu exclaimed and then pouted. "It was boring in here."

"We weren't gone that long," Gardevoir replied. "There's food outside, Rob will be there but I'm sure Quilava will want to talk with you," she smirked.

Riolu looked torn but finally agree to join them. "But only if Rob stays away."

"We're going to be traveling with him, you need to get used to him. Or at least tolerate him. He's not that bad," Gardevoir tried, but Riolu only harrumphed. Once they were outside however Riolu quickly forgot about both her and Rob. The blue furred pokemon joined Quilava who was filling in Sandshrew on what happened after being recalled. Rob backed off at the glare he received from Riolu, and move over to where Gardevoir stood.

"Here," he said, handing her a bowl and a spoon. She gave the utensil a disapproving look but accepted the food gratefully. "You're going to want that this time." He was right. The bowl contained what seemed to be flavored water with bits of vegetables and other things. It was very good of course, as human food generally was. She sat down and Rob joined her with his own meal.

"So what do you want to do?" Rob asked.

Gardevoir looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean if you could do anything right now, what would it be?" Rob glanced at her as the two of them sat in the soft grass.

Gardevoir honestly didn't know how to answer. "I don't know, why do you ask?"

"I've always wondered what pokemon dreamed of, what they wanted out of life." Rob sat back, resting on his elbows.

"My entire life all I wanted was to just survive, to hopefully escape. I never dared to plan further than that," Gardevoir replied slowly.

"I'm sorry," Rob said. "If you think of anything, let me know."

This lead into something Gardevoir wanted to know though. "What about you, what do you want? Why do all this?"

"All this? This is all I've ever wanted. Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a trainer, to travel with my pokemon. I don't particularly care what happens from here on out. It would be nice to challenge the elite four, but honestly, if that never happens, I don't know if I'd mind, as long as we're all enjoying ourselves and can scrape together enough money for food," Rob said smiling up at the clouds overhead.

"But why?" Gardevoir asked.

"I don't know if I can say why precisely. It's what I've always wanted to do, the path that will make me the happiest. It seemed right, so that's what I'm doing."

His reasoning didn't really make sense to her. Did he think playing with a pokemon's life was some kind of game, taking pleasure in forcing them to his will? But no, she knew he wasn't like that. There had to be something else driving him. But as they sat, she couldn't even find it in herself to be miserable. Sitting with Rob and watching the others, it was nice. As darkness fell, they all head inside, Rob wanting to get prepared to leave and be off on the road again early.

"You're leaving already? But you just got back home," Rob's mother was saying as Rob moved about, preparing his pack and ensuring he was ready.

"I know, I thought I was going to stay longer, but I think it's time to be on the road again," Rob replied. Gardevoir watched him from the corner of the kitchen. Riolu had already snuck off to Rob's bedroom.

"It's good to see you're devoted to this though, good luck if I don't see you tomorrow," his father said.

"I'll see you in the morning," Gardevoir sent to Rob as she slipped out of the kitchen. He gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment. When she reached Rob's room, Riolu was already in bed, though not asleep. Gardevoir climbed in with her blue friend.

"Hey Gardevoir, you said you've only been traveling with Rob for a little while right?" Riolu asked.

"Mhmm," she responded, snuggling against the furry pokemon.

"What did you do before you met him."

Gardevoir took a moment before answering. "Nothing interesting, go to sleep." There was no reason to bring up her past, and it wouldn't help either of them sleep anyway.

"Goodnight then," Riolu muttered snuggling against Gardevoir and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight," Gardevoir replied gently, and the pair drifted off to sleep.

A knocking at the door woke Gardevoir and Riolu early. The both of them rose and joined the others out in the kitchen for a quick breakfast while Rob made his final preparations. Gardevoir stayed at Riolu's side as Rob moved about, stuffing a few last items into his pack.

"We'll be heading through the Ilex Forest, it shouldn't take too long, we'll be on the other side before the end of the day. Then it's a while along Route 34. We can take our time though, we'll be right near the water, or close enough anyway," Rob said as he checked the fastenings on his pack. "Well, we should get going then."

Rob hurriedly cleaned up the kitchen and another few minutes saw them heading through Azalea once more. The cool weather from the previous day had continued, and the crisp fresh air would make for enjoyable traveling conditions.

It took about an hour to cross Azalea, as Rob's home was on the opposite side from their destination. As they approached though, it seemed as if the forest grew right up against the human town. An unobtrusive fence and maybe fifty feet separated concrete and houses from the dense forest they walked towards.

At first the woodlands were nice. The sun filtered through the canopy overhead sending thin beams of light to play across them. The faint sound of wildlife moving about just out of sight, shrouded in the thick vegetation, played soothingly as they walked. But as they moved deeper, Gardevoir felt an uncomfortable weight settling on her chest.

A silence began to follow them through the trees, and her skin prickled as if being watched. The enjoyable green corridors quickly turned into a trap where stalkers waited at every step. But her psychic scanning of their surroundings revealed nothing.

The hours passed in relative uneventfulness. The other three pokemon talked on occasion, or Rob would try and talk with Quilava and Sandshrew about upcoming battles, but aside from that, the group walked in silence. It was fine with Gardevoir though. She was content with being left alone, but still couldn't shake the feeling of being followed, occasionally glancing behind them though she knew nothing was there.

"Look, berries!" Riolu said, excitedly pointing to a small shrub with red and yellow fruit peeking between its leaves. At her words the other two pokemon also turned around.

"What's up?" Rob asked, unable to understand Riolu.

"There are berries around here," Gardevoir translated, indicating the bushes just off the road.

"Oh," Rob replied with a bright expression across his face. "It wouldn't be a bad time for a quick break, you guys want to go see if we can gather a few for the road?"

Riolu frowned slightly at Rob suggesting the idea but seemed interested none the less. There was still a decent amount of light filtering through the thick canopy and Rob had said they'd been making good time.

"We can split up and cover more ground, meet back here in ten minutes or so? Just don't go too far." And with that Rob led Sandshrew off in one direction. Quilava quietly hung back and Riolu went to join him, leaving Gardevoir standing alone on the path. She watched the two pairs as they disappeared into the surrounding foliage.

I didn't matter, she'd rather be left alone anyway. Once the others were gone she slunk off in a third direction, barely paying attention to what was growing on the trees around her. The forest seemed even more eerie now that she was alone and off the beaten trail. Thick trunks and shrubs cut vision to almost nothing, and each step inward saw less and less light reaching the loamy floor. The scent of earth and life filled her nose, but the silence around her made the place seem dead.

After only a minute of walking she looked around to realize she recognized nothing of her surroundings. The simmering anxiety that had shadowed her since arriving back in Azalea suddenly came to a boil in her stomach. It shouldn't be this dark, even in the thick forest. And the trees, they weren't the ones she'd passed a moment before.

Gardevoir froze, searching for a clue to what was going on, the darkness seemed to be thickening around her. Her pulse quickened and she hurried back towards where she thought the path was. It had only been a minute or two, she couldn't have gone far. As she pushed her way through the thick foliage, it was as if night had arrived, and she squinted into the blackness, shadows dancing just out of sight. And a solitary eye glared back at her. The eye flashed with hatred.

Ice coursed through her veins as the eye glowed, a tightness settling over her skin. _No, it was impossible._ Ivory fur gleamed , a stark contrast to the midnight scythe that framed the face to which that blood red eye belonged. Gardevoir felt her breath freeze in her lungs as the large felid creature approached languorously, its eye drinking it her fear.

"No, you can't be here," she croaked, her mouth arid, throat tight. Her telepathy wouldn't affect the dark type, forcing her to speak aloud.

Absol smiled. "My my, haven't you grown since we last saw each other."

Gardevoir took a trembling step away from the nightmare of her past. _How did she find me?_ Another step backwards, Absol still advancing at her dilatory pace, and her back brushed up against a large furry object. Startled, she spun, and was brought face to face with the mirthless, crimson grin of Zoroark. A squeak escaped her lips as she jumped away from him. She tried to keep both of them in view.

"Gardevoir now? You've been busy haven't you." Zoroark's voice was cold, but he made no move towards her, only Absol continued to encroach.

"No, you can't, I escaped, you're not real." Her legs caught on the roots as she clumsily backed away from the monsters. They only smiled at her. All around, the darkness swirled and suddenly they were back In Wes's basement.

"Don't you remember?" Absol asked, now only feet from her. "You killed them all, you didn't think you could just leave and everyone would forget did you?"

"I-I..." She looked around and saw them. The other psychics huddled where they had tried to avoid her and Absol's confrontation. And Abra. His body lay where it had been haphazardly discarded by Absol, his own blood staining his fur red. At least in the places where Absol's fangs hadn't torn him apart. _Abra..._

"I didn't. I didn't..." she whispered to Absol as the four legged pokemon closed the distance.

"Yes. You did." Absol placed a paw against Gardevoir's chest and pushed her to the ground, standing above her and holding her down with a large, heavy paw. "Does this bring back any memories?" Absol taunted and brought her face inches from Gardevoir's.

Tears stung Gardevoir's eyes but she wasn't about to give up. After escaping the first time, and now finding people who didn't just want to hurt her; she wouldn't let it go without a fight. Concentrating, she teleported. Or she tried to. Absol's paw was still heavy against her chest as she opened her eyes, staring into Absol's cruel face, a force holding her where she was. Ice. When she had first looked into Absol's eye, she must have used mean look. She was trapped.

"So, now here we are again," Absol whispered, face inches from her own. The cat's breath was hot and damp against her face. She was going to die. Large black claws pricked her skin, drawing small red beads from her chest. However, she barely noticed the pain. Everything was just as it had been.

Gardevoir stared up at the familiar ceiling, the small, grime encrusted window letting in just enough light to see. Absol stood over her wearing a malicious grin. She could almost smell the metallic stink of Abra's spilled blood. She deserved whatever came. After fighting it for so long, this was it, the end. There was no point.

A large claw dragged a gasp from Gardevoir's throat as Absol began to slice into white flesh. She panted as Absol stopped, feeling the warmth of her blood seeping from the fresh wound in her chest, but didn't fight. As a last act, she wouldn't give Absol the satisfaction the sadistic creature wanted.

"Just kill me, be done with it," Gardevoir said through clenched teeth. Absol's white fur becoming marred with her victim's blood.

"Well that wouldn't be any fun, I've been waiting very patiently to spend time with you again. Zoroark, do you have anything you'd like to say to get our little friend in a more playful mood?" Absol grinned wickedly, teasing Gardevoir with the tip of a claw against her skin. Zoroark's shadowy form appeared by her feet though he didn't seem to pay her any mind.

"She's right, she deserves to die for what she did." He said it in a cold tone, uncaring. "Despite what should be done though, I will enjoy seeing you suffer." Hate filled eyes turned to her, sending a chill down her spine. A clawed paw gripped her ankle, lifting one of her slender legs. Gardevoir felt the shock sent through her body as Zoroark's powerful kick met her leg. The force of the blow reverberating inside of her as the limb shattered. She didn't even realize she was screaming until he dropped her broken leg.

Tears filled her eyes. Absol was speaking but her mind was overwhelmed. Pain, unlike anything she'd felt before. Eventually she quieted herself, but her ragged breathing shook her small form still pinned beneath Absol's paw. An Absol who was grinning hungrily at her.

"Well he might not have finesse, but you sang beautifully for him." Absol sank a claw into her stomach. She could feel the claw like a knife, parting skin and muscle with ease. Absol pushed deeper. Gardevoir tried to refill her lungs but could barely breathe, letting out an almost silent whimper.

"But I see that fragile little body of yours can't keep up with him, so I'll be gentle." Absol's claw twisted inside her.

"Gardevoir!" It was a faint call. In fact had she not seen Absol react to it, she would have written it off as her mind trying to give her something to grasp to. But it wasn't. Wes's basement dissolved around them as Zoroark moved out of her view, melting into the surrounding foliage. It was much brighter and open than she had remembered. There was a gentle breeze. Her body shook slightly under the great beast's furred paw.

"That human better stay out of this. I'd hate to have to kill him in front of you too." Absol didn't look like she'd be bothered though. It was hard to breath. "Did you hear what I said?" Absol twisted the claw embedded in Gardevoir's stomach. _Human? Was it Wes, or Rob? Why would Rob be here, that didn't make any sense._ Her eyelids fluttered; the world swam in confusion around her.

The words, and pain, brought Gardevoir's focus back to the beast atop her. Why was it so hard to breathe? Her body felt numb, her mind was wandering. Absol's face contorted into a snarl at Gardevoir's lack of response, and she twisted the claw further before ripping it out. Gardevoir drew in breath. Shuddering, painful breaths. There was movement, noise, she had to focus. Why did her leg hurt so much? It was getting cold out.

* * *

Branches whipped at Rob's face as he ran through the woods towards where he had heard the scream. He could hear Sandshrew following behind him, and he had though he saw Quilava through the trees but he didn't hesitate to look. That sound.

Gardevoir was one of the strongest pokemon he'd ever met, but he could have sworn that was her scream. He could hear his blood pounding in his ears as he ran, it had to be close, they hadn't been separated more than a few minutes – there. Through the trees he could just make out a clearing where...

"Gardevoir? What the fuck is going on?" Rob skid to a halt, bracing himself against one of the trees to stop. Eyes wide, he tried to make sense of what lay before him. An Absol stood atop Gardevoir who was bleeding from a number of wounds, and her leg, he cringed at the sickening angle it lay at. Gardevoir was panting, eyes unfocused, but her head lolled to the side to look towards him. The Absol only glared at him with a single eye.


	10. Not Alone

"Wha-" Rob's mind scrambled to understand. "Get off of her!" he shouted and took a step forward, only to be stopped. From nowhere, a large red claw poked into his chest, forcing him to stop or be impaled on its razor point. The Zoroark shook its head, eyes boring into Rob's own. His heart was racing. Trying to move the creature's arm was fruitless, red and black fur blocking him from Gardevoir and the Absol.

"Get off of her," Rob demanded over the Zoroark's shoulder. "Where is your trainer?" Again her tried to push past Zoroark and was yet again rebuffed. "Gardevoir!"

"Absol," the pokemon growled, face inches from Gardevoir's and slapped a large paw against the side of his pokemon's face.

"Hey-" Rob moved again but this time the Zoroark shoved him back, almost causing him to fall. Quilava and Sandshrew were there; he almost ordered them to attack, fists shaking at his side. But the other two pokemon looked completely unfazed by their presence, and Gardevoir, even if she was in any shape to battle, would be completely useless.

"R-Rob?" Gardevoir's voice froze him. It was faint, unfocused. A haunting whisper. He watched as fresh tears rolled down Gardevoir's blood stained cheek.

"Gardevoir?" He couldn't keep the tremor from his voice. "What is this?"

A green hand twitched as if to reach out, but didn't move off the ground. "Run. Please get out of here, they'll kill you."

"Gardevoir, what are you talking about, whose pokemon are these?" At Rob's words, Zoroark took a step to the side, letting Rob have a clear view of Gardevoir now that he wasn't trying to run past.

"Get out of here, they'll kill you. You can't stop them." Gardevoir's eyes squeeze shut. She trembled visibly underneath the Absol whose paw was stained with his pokemon's blood. "I'm not worth getting yourself killed for. Leave, just go away."

Rob couldn't believe what he was hearing. It was almost as incredible as what he was seeing. But as he looked at the cold, watching gaze of the Zoroark, and the sick joy twinkling behind Absol's singular eye, the fury boiling in his stomach took over.

"You bastards," he snarled and lunged, reaching towards his belt. Zoroark responded impossibly quick to his action. Three claws reached for him, gleaming like knives, ready to have a fresh coat of red paint them. Fear should have stopped him, yet watching the attack coming only fueled his rage. There was no avoiding it; the claw would tear him apart.

An orange blur was suddenly between them, and both he and Zoroark were thrown backwards. Rob crashed to the ground as Riolu was thrown into his chest. Zoroark was sent careening awkwardly into a tree, spinning and falling to the ground. _ Riolu? No, no time to think._

"Smokescreen, sand attack!" Rob shouted grabbing Gardevoir's pokeball. Inky smoke and debris were thrown at the two dark type pokemon as the red beam touched Gardevoir's body. "Run!"

Shoving Riolu ahead of him, he ran. The four of them took off back towards the path as choking coughs followed them from inside the smoke cloud. How fast were they? Who did the pokemon even belong two? They obviously weren't wild, as neither were native to this area. But it didn't matter, they needed to run; he had to get his pokemon away from those creatures. Rob clutched Gardevoir's pokeball tightly as his feet pounded against the ground.

Trees rushed past as Rob launched himself along the ground. A quick glance behind showed him that his pokemon and Riolu were right behind, so he put his head down and ran. A roar from the forest behind sent chills down his spine. Whichever pokemon it had been though he couldn't tell.

Run. There was no room in his mind for anything else. He had to keep moving. The ground blurred below his feet as his chest burned. Run. They were out of the forest. Each breath tore at his chest and throat, limbs burning with exhaustion. His grip on Gardevoir's ball was frozen, the features of the pokeball imprinted against his sweating palm. Keep going. Why? What were those pokemon doing? But he couldn't dwell on it, he just had to run.

Stars glimmered overhead. His body moved automatically, stumbling along as he forced himself onward. He didn't even know how long it had been. They had to get away, he _would_ save Gardevoir. Something slammed into his back. His legs continued to move in that brief moment as the ground rushed up to meet him. He thrashed, a tangle of limbs flailing to try and remove the weight on his back, but it was just his pack. One of his pokemon lay on the ground near him though.

"Quilava?" he rasped, his throat dry, heart pounding in his ears.

"La...va..." his fire type panted with a white froth in the corners of his mouth, lying on the ground next to Rob. Sandshrew came up from behind before also collapsing to the ground panting. Rob lifted a hand to cradle his throbbing head. The world spun as he tried to sit up. Yes, some water. Quickly though, then they could get moving again. The crisp night air blew across his sweat soaked skin as he broke out two bottles of water. Giving one to Quilava, he drank deeply from the second.

Too much and, as soon as he had something in his stomach, he threw up. He rushed off the path, spewing up the water he had just drunk, his body protesting every movement. Coughing, he sat back and again drank the cool, sweet water again. Willing himself, he held it in, and then he noticed Riolu.

She looked in best shape out of all of them. Blue fur was matted against her body, but her breathing was only minimally labored. Fighting types generally had very good endurance. He held out his water bottle though anyway, even she wouldn't last long dehydrated. After hesitating a moment, she rushed to him but ignored the offered bottle. Rob grunted as the blue pokemon threw herself into his chest, wrapping strong arms around him.

"Riolu. Lu," she whispered into his chest. His fatigued mind didn't know what to do, so he just wrapped his arms wearily around her, still clinging to Gardevoir's pokeball. After releasing him she stepped back and took the water from him. They rest a moment, a quick break, but those other pokemon could be right behind them. They had to keep moving.

After his pokemon and Riolu finished, he returned the bottles to his pack and rose unsteadily to his feet. "Come on, we need to get going."

"Lava," his fire type said, also getting up but shaking his head.

"There's no time," he said, beginning to start moving again but Quilava stopped him. Once again he found himself thrown to the ground, this time by an admittedly weak push from his best friend.

"What do you think you're doing?" Anger rose inside of him, betrayed by his own pokemon. Sandshrew didn't even move to help him, the ground type just watched, chest heaving. Quilava walked on top of him, pinning him to the ground. "Are you insane? What has gotten into you?"

"Lava," his pokemon said again in the same tone. Rob moved to shove the traitorous pokemon off him, but his hand was swatted away. "Lava." Quilava lay down on his chest.

"Get off me," Rob growled, balling his hand into a fist. Two large, red eyes looked into his, pleading. With one look, everything was drained from him. Anger, fear, even fatigue. And as his head fell back onto the grass below him, he passed out.

Brilliant sunlight accompanied something nudging his side when Rob next woke. He groaned quietly as he sat up, his body feeling as if it had been hit by a car. Quilava jumped up happily licking his trainer's face after having finally woke Rob up.

"Good morning. I'm sorry about last night," Rob said running a hand through Quilava's fur. Still in a daze he gave his surroundings a quick glance. From the sun it looked to be around noon. Route 34 was an easy, winding path that was only a few hours walk away from the ocean. Lush grassy meadows surrounded the path with a scattering of softwood trees dotting the relatively flat landscape. Sandshrew and Riolu were there too, sitting off to the side of the path. And then there was Gardevoir, still in the pokeball clutched in his hand.

It was hard to even imagine that what happened yesterday was real, and it wasn't over yet. Gardevoir's pokeball was set for stasis, but the power would probably be about half drained by now. She had looked pretty bad, and if his potions weren't enough... Goldenrod was still a couple of days further no matter how far he ran last night. And they couldn't go back through the forest. It would take too long anyway, even if those pokemon who attacked Gardevoir weren't lying in wait. He placed the pokeball in his lap and rest his forehead in his palms.

His stomach burned with uncertainty, but he couldn't fail again. When he had been in danger, Gardevoir had jumped to save him without a thought. Now she was injured and he was the only chance for her survival.

"Quilava, can you please take the other and just go for a walk or something, I-I need to be alone for a bit," Rob said not taking his face from his hands.

"Quil?" His fire type nudged him with a look of concern. Rob brought a hand and rubbed Quilava's head.

"I'll be fine, I just need a while." Rob waited, and despite not wanting to leave his trainer, Quilava moved towards the others. A light breeze swept across the ground as Rob watched his other pokemon and Riolu talk briefly before giving him a concerned look and moving off. He was thankful for the privacy; he wasn't sure what was going to happen. With a shaking hand, Rob pressed the release button on Gardevoir's ball.

"Rob! No!" Her hand shot out as Gardevoir was released onto the ground.

"I'm here." Rob rushed to her side, grasping her hand. Green skin was cold against his palms and shook in his own trembling hands. "It's okay now, you're safe."

"Rob? You're, but- Where are we. I'm cold." Gardevoir's panic quickly faded to a chilling calm, and suddenly he was reminded of the severity of her wounds. Taking his hand from hers, Rob gently brushed a finger along the skin near the wound in her stomach. He could hear her ragged breathing, heart racing in her chest. Her pale skin was clammy and cool to the touch, except where it burned around the horrific wound in her stomach. It was so deep.

"Gardevoir," he whispered, kneeling next to his psychic pokemon. He had to act. Tears stung his eyes as he reached for his pack, searching desperately for his potions.

"Why? I said run." Gardevoir's words rang through his mind as his fingers fumbled for the small bottles. "You should be dead." Two would be enough right? If he used too much it could do more harm than good. "...left me, I killed them all." Gardevoir's words weren't making any sense, and he turned back to her.

"Shh, just rest, everything will be okay." Rob grabbed Gardevoir's arm and injected the two potions. She was beginning to look worse. Unfocused eyes tried to look up at him.

"You're a good human. I've never met one before. Just leave me here, get away from me, I can just die and-"

"Shut up," Rob cut her off. "Just shut up." There were tears in her eyes too. She tried to blink them away, but her eyes started to droop as her mental voice became hazy.

"I'll just die, you can go, I killed them..." He could barely hear her. Gentle tears rolled down her face as she lay in the grass.

"I said shut up; you're going to be fine." Rob wrapped his arms around her, pulling her cold, trembling body against his. The potions had to work. "You owe me answers, you can't die, you owe me. Please Gardevoir." Her chest rose and fell, pulling air in short gasps through her open mouth, but she said nothing more to him. So he cradled her limp form against himself, ignoring the blood staining his clothing. She couldn't die.

Rob held her close for a long time. "You're going to be fine. And once we get back on the road we can do whatever you'd like. I bet you'll really like Goldenrod City. I know you don't like large crowds, but there are lots of cool buildings and other stuff I doubt you've seen before." Her green hair flowed easily through his fingers as he stroked her head, resting her against his chest.

"And have you ever seen the ocean before? There's water for as far as you can see, with sand all along. I bet we could also find some good restaurants too, I've never gotten you any food from Kanto, you'd probably like that." Rob was rambling, he knew, but it was the only thing keeping him from losing it completely.

He wasn't sure how long he held her like that, whispering into her hair and stroking her back. Why he felt such crippling helplessness, he couldn't explain. Losing Gardevoir would crush him. She had been cold and distant with him since he captured her, yet he still felt like she was one of his closest friends. When he'd catch her staring at him with those cold, analyzing eyes, it was like she wanted to talk. And then she'd notice and put up her icy defenses again.

"You owe me an answer. I won't let you die," he whispered again into her hair.

* * *

Gardevoir's mind buzzed, static jarring her thoughts about, unable to concentrate. She could feel the pain though. Cold, sharp pain. Breathing hurt, her chest on fire. Limbs moved stiffly, sluggish and sore. And there was noise. Talking? Warmth surrounded her cold body. Slowly she opened her eyes, blinded by the late sun.

"Gardevoir?" Rob's voice. She blinked, trying to see through the blinding light, to make sense of what was going on.

"Rob? What's going on? Where am I?" she sent faintly. Even slight movements were difficult, her body completely drained. It was a struggle to keep her eyes open. So tired.

"A-Are you okay?" She could hear the tension in his voice as he peered down into her eyes. Memory returned slowly but vividly. It was like watching it play out again in her mind, her chest tightening.

"I told you to leave me," she said quietly, trying to ignore the concern Rob felt pouring into her through the fin on her chest. A feeling that was directed at her, cracking her.

"And I told you that I'd never abandon you," he replied seriously, running a hand gently through her hair. It did feel nice.

Gardevoir batted his hand away feebly. "And they'll kill you for it," Gardevoir growled through her psychic voice. "Why won't you just run?"

"But I saved you, and look, I'm fine. We all are," Rob said, smiling down at her.

"You think they'll stop?" Gardevoir snapped back, sitting up despite the pain, clutching at the wound in her stomach. "They won't. They'll follow me, and they'll kill me. And you, and Riolu, and-" she gasped in pain, struggling to get to her feet, to stop him from looking down at her like that. Intense pain from her broken leg brought tears to her eyes but she blinked them away, staring down at her trainer.

Rob's face darkened slightly at her words, and he pulled her back down effortlessly. "Stop, you're injured," he said gently, holding her tight in his arms. Warm, safe arms. He couldn't die for her. "And, they were wild pokemon, weren't they?" The look in his eyes though said even he didn't believe that.

"Of course they weren't," Gardevoir spat in response to his wishful ignorance. How easily he had drawn her back into his arms also infuriating. She was so weak. At her confirmation though, she could feel anger building inside of Rob.

"Was there a trainer there?" he asked slowly, a dangerous glint she had never seen in him burning behind those green eyes.

"No," Gardevoir said, looking away. "No he wasn't. Why are you so intent on protecting me? Why do you think they're so determined in hunting me down? You don't know anything about me, so why do you keep this up?" Gardevoir growled, a fierce heat in her voice.

"I, but- If there was no trainer there then who-"

"I killed him." Gardevoir interrupted, just short of shouting at him, and as she admitted it out loud, to the one person still alive who had shown her kindness, all of her defenses shattered. Everything she had suppressed into the dark corners of her mind, everything buried under the icy outward calm bubbled up. Murderer branded her consciousness as tears lept to her eyes. Maybe one of those deaths were justified, if there was even such a thing, but most of them had been victims just as she had been. And she had wiped them from existence.

"I killed him, and others," she sobbed, burying her face into Rob's chest, unable to help herself, cradled in his arms. "Murdered," she whimpered.

"I uh, what?" Rob asked, taken aback by Gardevoir's outburst. "Shh, calm down. Gardevoir what's wrong?" he cooed, making her feel worse.

"I killed them all," she managed to get out before losing her grip on mental communication, digging tiny claws into his shirt.

Rob was suddenly very still. "What do you mean? Did your previous trainer, make you- I mean did he-" He danced around it, but she could feel it. Worry, no, fear crept into the feelings she felt radiating from him. And now things were different, now he knew what she really was.

Anger burned within her, flared alongside the despair. "Now you see it don't you?" Gardevoir growled through her telepathy. "Trying to protect some savage freak." She bared her teeth as she pushed away from Rob, grimacing through the pain in her torso and shattered leg. "I deserved to die, but you came and stopped it, when I told you to run." Wet splotches appeared on Rob's shirt as tears continued to roll off Gardevoir's cheeks, but her eyes blazed as she stared him down. Raising a hand she conjured up a sphere of psychic energy.

"I could kill you right here, just like I did the others. Their minds shattered at my touch. I felt them die, their very being erased by my hand. Tell me I don't deserve what those creatures had intended. Why do you continue this farce," she screamed into Rob's mind, pale blue light pulsing in her hand as she stared into Rob's wide eyes.

"No," Rob whispered, bringing a hand up to Gardevoir's back. She was so surprised by the touch the sphere of energy in her hand winked out as she was pulled back against Rob's chest. "Whatever you say you did I don't believe it. You would never have done something like that."

"I know what I am, I ki-" but Rob didn't let her finish what she was saying.

"Don't blame yourself, whatever you were made to do, whatever they did to you, it wasn't your fault. I've heard plenty of stories of how cruel humans can be to pokemon, and I promised to never become that. You can't blame yourself for what happened." His voice was strong and calm, his arms sheltering her from all of the doubt and self-loathing.

"You don't even know what I-"

Rob hushed her. "It doesn't matter. I don't care. I saw those other pokemon, and I've spent the past few weeks with you. I know you'd never hurt someone, not intentionally or of your own will. Those two in the forest, I could see the hatred in them."

"But I killed-"

"Stop," he soothed, running a hand slowly along her back. "Everything will be okay, just rest. You're still badly injured. Everything will be fine, I promise." He held her tightly, and Gardevoir gave in. His arms deflected everything that wasn't Rob's warmth, pulling her flush against him as she breathed deep the scent of her trainer. Warmth that was more than body heat. Happiness, a feeling that had been foreign to her throughout her life, and one that she thought she'd never truly experience again after that day. Closing her eyes she melted into Rob's chest.

Gardevoir woke up against the slow, steady rise and fall of Rob's chest. It was dark overhead, the night sky bathing the two of them in its pale light, a warm breeze bringing the sweet scent of trees and earth to them. A hand rested on her back, gently lying against the side of the red fin that let her detect the feelings of others.

It would just take filling the sensor with psychic energy to connect with him again, to feel his soul entwined with her mind. Warmth and purity encompassing her. A wondrous feeling, but she shouldn't have even done it the first time, without even asking Rob, or explaining what she was doing. With a sigh she moved, painfully sitting up without waking her savior.

A gentle hiss escaped Gardevoir's lips as she sat up. The wounds in her shoulder and stomach hot and inflamed, making her shoulder stiff. Her leg throbbed from where it had been broken, though luckily it hadn't broken the skin. She would heal, as long as the infection didn't get too bad. A light breeze played about their campsite, if it could be called that. Rob lay on the grass, Sandshrew curled up in a ball at his feet. Quilava and Riolu were together, the fire type with his back to a small tree and Riolu with her face in Quilava's chest, a blue paw still clutching a handful of fur, even in slumber.

"Gardevoir?" Rob's voice whispered sleepily from her side. She jumped at the noise but settled as Rob sat up beside her. "How are you feeling?"

Gardevoir didn't meet his eyes. "I'm fine. A-Are you going to release me?" she mumbled in question.

"Of course not," Rob replied, his voice sure as he moved an arm around her.

"But I killed a human, and his pokemon. I killed them." Anger began to rise in her again. Why wouldn't he hate her, punish her for what she did?

"I told you, I don't believe it. You saved my life; you've done nothing but help me in this short journey we've been on together. Why don't you just tell me what happened? I promise everything will be fine; I'll never release you, no matter what. Unless it's what you truly wish."

Gardevoir bit her lip. She could sense no deception from him, and the warm, light feeling flowing through her from her fins was intoxicating. Fingers stroked through her hair, confident and sure. A solitary tear rolled off her cheek, splashing onto Rob's clothing, still stained by her blood, and she told him everything. From the very beginning, starting with the vague memories of being taken from her family. She told him all of it.

"I'm sorry," Rob said quietly, still slowly running a hand through her hair. It was the first thing he'd said since beginning her story, listening quietly, letting her finally get it all out.

"But, I killed them," she whispered. "Absol and Zoroark, they're the ones who are right." Gardevoir could feel an angry heat coming from Rob though, building as she told her story.

"No, that man, Wes. What he did was wrong, people like him... He deserved to die. It shouldn't have had to be you, but that death was better than he deserved." Rob's voice held that intensity from before; his eyes gleamed, revealing the ferocity that hid behind his gentle facade.

"And the others? Did they deserve to die?" her own voice tinged with anger.

Rob didn't respond immediately, just continued to stroke her hair. "No, they didn't," he said finally, his voice soft, unaccusing. "They didn't deserve to die, but it was an accident, you didn't mean to kill them."

"Do you think they care if I didn't mean to? I still killed them."

Rob placed a hand lightly under her chin and brought her face up, their eyes meeting. "You did, and it was wrong," the truth of his words echoing the voice inside that called her a monster. "But it wasn't done out of malice. You escaped, and have a new chance. You can make up for what you did, I can help you. Don't waste this life that others paid so dearly for though, it would be an insult and a waste. You have a chance to live as they couldn't." His face was inches from hers, a storm of emotions radiating from him and into her. But two overwhelmed the others. Rob pulled her into a tight embrace, carefully avoiding her injuries.

A warmth filled Gardevoir. The voice that called herself a monster was crushed beneath his accepting words. She had to pay for her mistakes, and taking a life was no small debt. She may never be able to fully repay the ones she slew, but she wasn't a monster either. Not like Wes, or his two dark types. With Rob, maybe things could work out.

"Thank you," Gardevoir whispered, returning the hug as best she could with her one good arm, pressing herself as close to him as she could.

"I'm here for anything you need, you don't have to hide things from me," he said, resting his chin on her head and running a hand down her back. "You should get some sleep, you're sure that you're going to be all right?"

"I think so," Gardevoir murmured into his chest, letting him lower the two of them to the ground.

"Sleep well, we need to get moving again tomorrow," Rob said, returning an arm to rest against Gardevoir's back.

"Night," Gardevoir whispered back, quickly falling back to sleep against her trainer, smiling into his chest.

Darkness stretched out in every direction, nothing above or below, it was only her. Gardevoir's body was perfectly illuminated, though there was no obvious source of light, lighting that was much too perfect to be normal. Heart racing she took a step back, noticing her wounds were gone, not a scratch on her pale skin. _What is this place?_

"Gardevoir." The voice spoke to her mind, yet she knew it came from behind her. She spun, white gown flaring out, the ethereal lighting giving a surreal air to the place. Nothing moved though except for her and Abra.

"W-What is this, I... Abra?" Gardevoir was lost for words but was forced to look away from her old friend. A large chunk of his torso was missing from where Absol had tore into him, ending Abra's life. Blood still dripped from his small mouth, falling endlessly into the black infinity below.

"Oh so you at least remember me," he sneered, taking a few steps closer to her.

"What is this place, who are you? You're not the same," Gardevoir said, edging away from the advancing pokemon.

"I'm not the same? Look at you, Gardevoir," Abra spat, glaring at her. "All fully evolved while I sacrificed myself for you, and now look. All but forgotten mere weeks later."

"Of course I didn't forget you," Gardevoir plead, still unable to meet those cold, dead eyes. "I miss you so much. I-I didn't know what to do, after you died, I thought I was dead too. It would have been a mercy; we could have been together again, but then..."

"You know I loved you, Gardevoir. I loved you, gave my life to buy your freedom. Are you happy, now that you're free?" Abra taunted.

"I-"

"Of course, my body wasn't even cold before you threw yourself into the arms of another. A human no less." Abra's coat was illuminated in the same manner she was, his once golden fur tarnished brown by his own blood. His slow, once sleepy movements now resembled a Seviper, circling its prey.

"No that's not-" Gardevoir tried desperately to explain, but Abra didn't let her finish.

"Were you just using me? Was it just because I was the only one to show you an ounce a kindness? Because I was convenient?" Abra kept up his slow, viperous advance as she continued to retreat.

"No, it wasn't like that. You were my best friend, and I would have gladly spent my life with you, even if it was only ever in that cell," Gardevoir whimpered. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why am I? You did this to me. Tell me, did you love me?" Abra stopped now, hollow eyes boring into her.

"Did I- When we were down there I- I don't know, when I was a Kirlia I still-" Gardevoir stuttered, looking out into the blackness, his gaze terrifying her.

"It's a simple question, did you love me?"

A tear fell from Gardevoir's cheek, falling endlessly into the black abyss. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I loved you. You made me happy. I thought that everything was over when you died. Why are you doing this? Even if it is a lie, for once I feel like I don't have to hate myself, don't have to seek death. Rob is kind, and he has tried to cheer me up even if I didn't want to speak with him in the beginning. He saved me from letting your death destroy me."

Abra growled at the mention of her new trainer's name. "He's using you just like Wes did. He's a human. Do you really think their kind give a shit about us? They just want our power, especially your power. Don't you see it? You told him about how you killed Wes and the others; imagine what that kind of power could get him."

"No he's not like the-"

"Not like what? Not like every other human? He just happens to be the only good one, and you just happened to find him by accident, caught without even asking?"

"But he didn't have a choice, I was injured and-"

"Going to die? You know you weren't even close to death from those injuries."

Gardevoir stared into the darkness. "No, you're wrong, he isn't like them," but even she could hear the doubt lacing her telepathic voice.

"You can't even look at me and say it," Abra said, closing the distance between them and staring up in challenge.

"I just want to be happy. I never asked for any of this," Gardevoir whispered, eyes glistening in the impossible light.

"You can be happy," Abra cooed, his voice silk and honey. "You know how. The power to remake the world, fix every wrong, recreate it so that you can have your happiness. We could be together again." The darkness began to lighten around them, but Gardevoir felt no safer, quite the opposite in fact. Crimson stained the surrounding darkness, powerful and violent.

"No, I can't, that's how all of this started in the first place," Gardevoir said as arcs of blood-red lightning reflected off her eyes. The darkness stormed around her with energy, and she could feel it crawling under her skin, her very being resonating with each flash.

"This power saved you, freed you from Wes. You can feel it within you, I know you can. It was meant to be used, and it was given to you, the one allowed to wield it, to determine how it should be used. Consider it a blessing. It is up to you to bless the world." Abra's words echoed throughout the black infinity. The darkness began to distort, unstable from the power's incredible energy. Abra melted into the storm as it shook and rippled around her. Red lightning arced from her body, and the air around her became distorted by the swirling power her body contained. Gardevoir screamed, and darkness shattered.

"Gardevoir? Gardevoir wake up!" Hot, her whole body was on fire. There was noise, voices around her but they didn't matter, only the blistering heat. And the pain. All encompassing. His chest heaved, trying to fill her burning lungs, but that was pain too. A bright light blinded her eyes, shadows moving about half-seen. They weren't important, the heat, she had to stop the heat. She tried to release it, force it out of her body. There was more movement, more voices, and then silence.

Gardevoir woke. Or maybe she didn't. The world passed by, except that it wasn't really the world, more of a ghost of reality, and she wasn't in it. The landscape moved oddly around her, Gardevoir merely an observer, hearing and seeing as though her senses were muted. And then she saw rob, running along with the others. This wasn't death, at least she didn't think so. There was still pain, pain and heat. A dream? But then she had spoken with Abra in that strange place. Her mind was sluggish. It was too hot, too hot, and she was so tired.

The world drifted by. Gardevoir didn't know how long, in fact she could barely tell whether she was experiencing some sort of delusion or if she was asleep. It eventually stopped though. The muted voices returned, but none of them were Rob. Suddenly the world was returned, or she returned to the world.

Color and feeling exploded as Gardevoir was deposited on the ground in a flash of red light. Three pokemon surrounded her, all prepared for a fight. Sweat drenched her as the pain of her injuries returned full force, no longer buffered by that strangeness.

"Gardevoir?" a scared voice asked from her side.

"Riolu?" Gardevoir rasped, the world spinning around her. There was a short pause and then a bottle was thrust into one of her hands. Gardevoir drank deeply, the seemingly frigid water bliss against her burning insides. She tried to sit up.

"What's going on," Gardevoir muttered weakly, sitting slowly, clenching her teeth through the pain.

Riolu walked in front of her, taking a paw in one of hers. "You were, um, sick, and Rob was rushing to Goldenrod to get you to the pokemon center, and then he collapsed." The baby pokemon's voice shook as she clutched Gardevoir's hand tightly. Sandshrew and Quilava both looked on edge but relaxed slightly from when she first saw them. "Can you teleport us the rest of the way?"

Gardevoir was already panting, the heat and pain unbearable, but with a glance at Rob, she looked out into the distance. A small speck marked the horizon, Goldenrod City. Her head swam as she tried to judge the distance, but she could make it. If Rob was injured then...

"Yes, I think I can make it, but not everyone," Gardevoir wheezed. Sandshrew and Quilava, you'd need to go back in your balls, and Riolu-"

"No," Quilava said, small flames erupting on his back. "I'm not leaving you alone with Rob."

"What?" Gardevoir turned to Quilava, but Riolu stepped in.

"She's fine now, it'll be okay," the fighting type said in an attempt to calm Quilava. "And I'll be fine on my own; I can make it to the city. I'll find you," Riolu said with a determined look at Gardevoir. There was a palpable tension in the air, and Gardevoir seemed to be that cause of it, though she couldn't remember. So hot. Looking at her shoulder she winced. A brief touch to the inflamed skin sent daggers through her arm and chest, and the heat of the skin made her pale. Her stomach seemed no better; it was a shock she was still conscious.

"Fine," Quilava relented and retreated back into his pokeball.

Sandshrew gave her one last look before following Quilava's lead. Then it was just her and Riolu, and Rob.

"Are you sure-" Gardevoir started.

"I'll be fine," Riolu said putting on a brave face, but Gardevoir could feel the nerves of the small pokemon washing over her. "I'll see you at the pokemon center. I still remember what they look like. Just, get better, please? You're all I have..." Large eyes looked up into Gardevoir's. It felt like a bad idea, something deep inside screamed at her, telling her to not do it, but she was too tired and her mind too confused to listen.

"I'll see you there," Gardevoir said between deep breaths, and then placing a hand against Rob's skin, they jumped. The leap had taken more out of her than Gardevoir had expected, and she took a moment to catch her breath. The infection was taking a heavy toll on her body, and having to drag another person along with her wasn't making this easy. She brushed a hand across Rob's forehead. Abra was wrong about him, he had to be. There had to be at least one good human. With a hand against him, she focused and the world shifted again.

It took a number of teleports, more than Gardevoir had expected, the city deceptively far away. Each jump brought them closer, the open fields becoming more urban. Gardevoir struggled to maintain focus. If she passed out too... Another leap and they were on one of the human constructed pathways. There were voices, shouts when they appeared but Gardevoir ignored them. She just had to get to the pokemon center. That was all.

Releasing her psychic powers out into the surrounding area she felt the very reality of the world around her. She didn't even really know what she was doing, her fevered mind taking over. One last jump. They made it into the middle of the pokemon center, and it didn't take long for a nurse to rush to their side.

"Fix him," Gardevoir commanded into the mind of the startled human, and passed out atop Rob.


	11. Watcher

"I found it," a psychic voice entered coolly into Asher's mind. He looked over at the large Alakazam. The pair of them sat atop one of Goldenrod's tallest buildings. Wind whipped at his loose coat and ruffled his Alakazam's fur. They had been waiting there for days, Asher's pokemon surveying every human and pokemon that entered or left the city.

"Are you sure? You don't even know what we're looking for." Asher waited for a response as Alakazam stared out into the distance, alert.

"I am sure. It's a Gardevoir, female. She teleported right into the city with a human male. He has two other pokemon with him but they are in their balls, none of them are anything of note," the Alakazam said, eyes boring through the towering concrete and steel constructs that made up Goldenrod City.

"Gardevoir aren't that uncommon." Asher joined Alakazam, gazing in the direction his pokemon was focused. "And it was a Kirlia. Could have evolved, but what makes you think it's our target."

Alakazam didn't respond to him though, instead continuing with his observations. "She's injured quite badly, not fatal, but definitely not combat ready, we should strike now."

"Our orders were to observe only; we're not getting involved in this just yet." Injured? Asher was told that the pokemon they were looking for was quite strong.

"That creature is broken, it should be destroyed." Alakazam turned to look him in the eye. "Unless you order me not to, I will kill that thing right now. If it wakes up, there is no guarantee I would defeat it in battle."

Asher gaped. His partner, one of the most powerful psychic types he had ever encountered was unsure of victory against some child's Gardevoir? "I am ordering you to do nothing to that pokemon. What do you mean you can't beat it?"

Alakazam stared him down, but he would not be betrayed. "That Gardevoir is an abomination; her mind is a twisted mess. It isn't natural, nothing should have to live like that, and it's too dangerous to allow it to live."

Asher surveyed the city as it flowed below them. Originally he had only followed Giovanni for the money, but after all these years, he trusted the man, or as much as he trusted anyone. He had questioned why someone of his caliber was on the lookout for some kid with two badges when not even the elite four had anything to match his strength. Nothing had ever even fazed his Alakazam before.

"How strong is it?"

Alakazam showed no emotion either way. "Its mind is twisted by incredibly powerful psychic barriers. In its current state I can't imagine it's more than a raving beast, but whatever hand placed those barriers is so far beyond my skill I can't even imagine. Nothing besides the hand of a Guardian could have done that. When those barriers break down though, or if that creature can manipulate them itself, I am unsure what would happen. If it has control over that power, it would be unstoppable. That thing shouldn't be allowed to continue, no good will come of anything so... Unnatural."

A legendary pokemon? Asher rest against the railing that encircled the roof. He trusted Giovanni, but he would put his life in Alakazam's hands without hesitation. The sky above them began to blaze with a fiery sunset. If Alakazam was right, and Giovanni wasn't as ignorant as he let on, then maybe they should just make this simple. It wouldn't be the first time facing the man's anger. His pokemon wouldn't lie, but there was more to this than he first thought. Why would a pokemon like that even be traveling with a human, especially one so young and inexperienced? He didn't like this.

* * *

Zoroark staggered through the forest. He couldn't tell if the bleeding had stopped or his hand was numb. There was nothing to heal his wounds anymore. Not since Wes was gone. He should have killed that fucking Absol in the beginning. She was insane. With a grunt he leaned against a large, rough barked tree.

While his wounds wouldn't kill him, he couldn't keep this pace up; he had lost too much blood. His breathing was labored as he slumped to the ground, taking a bloodstained paw away from the deep gash in his arm. It was closing, slowly. Just a little deeper and he would have bled out on the forest floor. The air was cold, or maybe it was just him. Absol would be moving almost as slowly as he was, and he would kill her too. There had been no warning before she attacked him, and he would not make that same mistake again. He just had to rest for a bit, and then they would all pay.

* * *

The room Gardevoir woke in was dark. Glancing quickly around revealed nothing but dim outlines of what appeared to be a small room, the air sharp with the smell of chemicals. Upon moving, harsh white light illuminated the sterile room that was devoid of color. It wasn't a big room; in fact there was little area to move with the small bed that she lay on and the cabinets and sink against the opposite wall.

Atop the stiff cot she surveyed her situation, sitting up. The room was very similar to the one she had been in when Rob had first brought her to the pokemon center after being captured, except this one was empty. A needle was stuck into her arm, and she pulled it out with a wince. Why wasn't Rob here or the others?

And then what had seemed like a bad dream came crashing back to her. Collapsing in the pokemon center with Rob, abandoning Riolu alone with the pokemon who had tried to kill her. Dread burned in her stomach. She had betrayed the one person she had promised herself to protect no matter what, and why wasn't Rob here? Where was he? He had to be okay. Shadows moved beneath the door to her room as it swung inwards.

Two humans entered. Gardevoir recognized one as a pokemon center nurse. The other human she was unfamiliar with. The woman wore a neat mostly blue uniform accented with red at the cuffs and neck, as well as several pieces of polished metal. An odd brimmed hat stood atop her head, also adorned with a polished metal shape. They both wore smiles, but Gardevoir didn't trust them. The last time she had been in one of these places they had drugged her.

"Where's my trainer?" Gardevoir asked, trying to make a show of confidence as she stood, backing slightly away from the door in the small room. The room listed as her weak legs touched the cool tiled floor, but she forced herself to remain standing.

The nurse halted awkwardly in the door but her smile never faltered. "Well I'm glad to see you up and about Gardevoir, you had us worried for a bit. Your trainer is waiting outside. My friend here just wanted to ask you a few questions real quick is that okay?"

"Who is she? Why can't I see my trainer?" Gardevoir's eyes darted to the second woman.

The woman in blue stepped adroitly around the nurse and put on a smile of her own. "Hi, I'm a member of the Goldenrod Police. My name is Officer Irene. I just want to make sure that you're all right." Gardevoir mirrored the woman's advance with a step backwards, a hand involuntarily rising as if to ward her off.

"I'm fine," Gardevoir said, eyes darting between the two women cornering her in the room. She could make a break for it, they didn't have any pokemon of their own to stop her, but she didn't want to get Rob in trouble.

"I'm very glad to hear that, just humor me please? It will only take a moment and then you and your trainer can be on your way." The officer seemed reasonable, and if it ended up taking more than a few moments then she could escape.

Gardevoir lowered her hand. "Fine," she sent.

The woman smiled. "Thank you. Does your trainer ever do anything that you don't like?"

A confused look crossed Gardevoir's face. "I don't understand."

"Does he ever hurt you, or use other pokemon to hurt you on purpose?" the woman asked.

"No, nothing like that, why?" Her confusion turned to surprise.

"Does he ever make you fight other pokemon to the point where you might get seriously hurt or killed?"

Gardevoir's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking me these things?" Her mental voice harsher than she had intended, but anger burned inside of her.

"If he's hurting you we can stop him. It's illegal to use pokemon that way. The officer's voice was gentle, and she moved towards Gardevoir again.

"No," Gardevoir snapped, raising a hand again and halting the officer's advance. "He isn't doing that; he's a good trainer."

"Your injuries were very odd, and we've had reports of-"

"No," Gardevoir repeated. "I want to leave." The woman may have only been trying to help, but she was too late, for her at least. The two humans gave her an exasperated look but stepped back out into the hall, letting Gardevoir leave the room.

"Your trainer is waiting just through those doors in the lobby," the nurse indicated, pointing down the hall.

"Thank you," Gardevoir replied, suppressing the heat in her voice. Walking quickly she pushed the heavy door open and stepped out into a very large room. Sunlight shone in through large floor to ceiling windows that made up the walls of the pokemon center's lobby. Trainers and pokemon alike filled the room, bustling about and talking with one another. Gardevoir searched for one human in particular.

"Rob!" she shouted so only he would be able to hear her. Her trainer looked up from where he had been staring into the floor, eyes snapping to the doors Gardevoir had just exited. His face seemed to brighten for just a moment, but as Gardevoir made her way quickly to him, Rob gave a slight shake of his head and rose.

"Hello Gardevoir, I'm glad to see you're doing better," he said, voice calm and dispassionate. He didn't smile, and he held himself away from her as if they were strangers.

Gardevoir's heart froze. "Um, Rob is there something wrong? I..." she trailed off.

"Everything's fine. I have a room here; I'll explain when we're in there. Follow me." His voice didn't change. This wasn't like him. He had never acted like this to her before. What had she done? Another exit off of the lobby lead to a long corridor lined with doors. It wasn't a long walk, but to Gardevoir it seemed to take them hours, the floral patterned carpet dragging at her feet.

Was this the end? Not since the beginning had he ever been so distant with her. Not when she had shouted at him, or told him to leave her alone. Had her confession finally sunk in? Was he going to release her, or hand her over to those police to have her executed for what she'd done? A weight settled in her stomach. Her mouth was suddenly very dry as Rob led her before one of the doors and opened it. Nothing leapt out, no mob waited inside, so Gardevoir entered, followed by Rob who shut the door behind them. Firm hands pulled Gardevoir around, and she found herself in a tight embrace.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Rob said softly. "When they said they weren't sure if..." he trailed off.

Gardevoir blinked in surprise but quickly let herself fall into the hug, letting Rob's arms surround her, pulling them close. "I don't understand, out there, you-"

Rob gave her one last squeeze before breaking away and stepping back. "I'm sorry, it's just. I don't know. The people here are acting strange; there have been a lot of attacks and odd reports I guess. The police were questioning me about you, and trying to make me out to be a pokemon abuser. I just didn't want to raise any suspicions for them."

The hug had sent a wave of relief through Gardevoir, her face softening to a small grin. "They questioned me too. It seemed like they wanted me to say you were like Wes," her face darkened as she thought back to her previous trainer and the woman in blue. "But being happy isn't bad is it?"

"No I guess not," Rob said with a small chuckle. "But there's other, well it doesn't matter. I'm glad you're better. You are okay right?"

With a small twirl, Gardevoir's dress flared out slightly in the small entrance to Rob's room. "All better," Gardevoir said with a smile, letting the light airy feeling that filled her take over for a moment. And then she frowned. "I did something horrible," she whispered to Rob. "Riolu. When you were hurt, I left her out on the road..." Rob only smiled and pointed over Gardevoir's shoulder.

"Gardevoir!" a familiar energetic voice called out, and Gardevoir spun to see the fighting pokemon run towards her. The small bundle of blue fur leapt and Gardevoir caught her, wrapping the pokemon in a tight embrace.

"I should never have left you out there. I don't know what I was thinking," Gardevoir sent quietly to the baby pokemon.

"Don't worry," Riolu said nuzzling into Gardevoir's chest. "I made it back fine, and everyone is safe now."

"I booked the whole room you know, not just this hallway," Rob said with a grin, and Gardevoir let Riolu back to the floor, quickly moving into the furnished area, blushing slightly.

Gardevoir sat on the edge of one of the beds, and Riolu hopped back up into her lap. Wrapping her arms around the blue pokemon, Gardevoir turned to Rob. "So where are the others?"

Rob took a seat in the rooms chair and angled it towards Gardevoir. "I thought they could use a little break after everything that's happened, so I dropped them off to get a little r and r. I offered to take Riolu, but she seemed to want to wait for you to wake up."

"And you stayed here all by yourself with Rob?" Gardevoir asked, poking the small pokemon in the side.

Riolu giggled. "He's alright I guess. I mean since I didn't have a choice. He saved you though."

Everything was working out. This unfamiliar feeling was intoxicating, lifting her onto billowing updraft of warmth. With a wide smile Gardevoir pulled Riolu back onto the bed, grunting as the two of them landed on the soft mattress. The spot on her stomach where she had been injured still felt bruised.

"I guess that's good enough," Gardevoir sighed contentedly as she hugged Riolu tightly to her.

"Well, why don't I let you two catch up for a bit. I have a few things to do in town, and then I can grab the others and bring some food back. How's that sound?" Rob asked, standing.

Gardevoir almost asked him to stay a bit, but he would be back. Besides, now that he mentioned food, she began to feel the hunger of being asleep for so long. "See you soon," she sent to her trainer's mind with a smile. "So, how did you manage to make your way back?" Gardevoir asked Riolu as Rob departed, enjoying the warmth of the small pokemon atop her.

* * *

Gardevoir sat up as the door to their room opened. Delicious smells accompanied Rob in, as well as his other two pokemon who trailed behind. A light smile crossed her lips as their eyes met.

"Hungry?" Rob asked and Gardevoir nodded, joining him as he sat down on the floor to eat with his pokemon. She sat down next to Rob who gave her a quick smile as he began removing items from their bags. Riolu moved to sit on her right. They didn't mind having her around. The feeling almost made Gardevoir sing. Closing her eyes she basked in the warm feeling for a moment.

As usual Rob had gotten them an assortment of different things, and Gardevoir looked at them eagerly. With a withering look at the fork Rob passed her along with the plate, she started to pick through the containers with her four companions. Humans had so many flavors for their foods. Yellow and Red slices of something added a strange sweetness to the food, and it made her tongue tingle pleasantly. The rest of the group was quiet for the most part as they ate.

"I'm glad you guys are safe," Gardevoir said to Rob's other two pokemon, trying to break the silence.

"No thanks to you," Quilava muttered. Sandshrew shot his friend a heated look, but he didn't speak up in her defense either.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Didn't mean to what? Get Rob mixed up with whatever insane pokemon you kept company with before he found you? Or try and kill him yourself after he risked his life to save yours?" Small flames licked up the fire pokemon's back as he stood. Despite being half her size, Gardevoir wilted beneath his stare. She looked to the others but none of them met her eyes, not even Riolu.

"Go easy on her, she just got better." Sandshrew tried to calm Quilava down, but he never discounted what the fire type accused either.

"What's going on?" Rob asked, confusion painting his face. While he couldn't understand what was being said, the tension in the room was palpable. Gardevoir didn't answer him though.

"Why, so she can murder us all in her sleep? Why does Rob even keep her around let alone leave her outside of her pokeball," Quilava asked, continuing to lay into her.

"Are you done?" Gardevoir whispered psychically, staring at the floor.

"No I'm not done with you," Quilava spat. "If you gave a damn about any of us you'd leave and get as far away from anyone normal. You're just a danger to everyone else."

"I see." It was always too good to be true. Without taking her eyes from the ground Gardevoir departed with a psychic ripple.

"That was horrible," Riolu growled at Quilava before jumping up onto the bed and wrapping herself in the warm sheets.

"What, do you think-" the fire type began but Riolu never let him finish.

"Don't talk to me," she shouted back. A storm raged above her. Gardevoir's aura. Unlike her future form, she did have full control over the auras around her, but even now she could feel the undulating waves of emotion and life. Strong emotion always made it easier to detect, but the feelings she was getting from both Gardevoir and Quilava were dark and unpleasant.

* * *

Gardevoir sat with her back against the cool brick wall that lined the pokemon center's roof. The pokeball that bound her didn't allow her to go far from it, but this was good enough. She just wanted to be a lone for a bit. Every time things started to go well, something would come up to knock her back down. It was like she attracted misfortune. It wasn't fair.

"You seem troubled little one." It was a psychic voice, much like her own, but there was no one on the roof with her. Not a corporeal being anyway. Releasing her psychic powers out around her, Gardevoir sensed it. A miasma of psychic energy, almost like a pokemon, except it had no physical body.

"What are you?" Gardevoir asked, her skin prickling along the back of her neck.

"What am I?" The voice was old and powerful. "I am just a traveler who noticed a fellow pokemon in distress." Wisdom and confidence exuded from the being and into her mind.

For some reason Gardevoir wasn't scared, or even bothered by the formless pokemon. "How are you talking like this? I don't sense anything but energy."

"I am projecting myself. In truth I am quite far from where you sit, but physical location is a trivial thing. Don't you worry yourself about me though, that isn't why I revealed myself to you." The voice said.

"Then why did you? Why are you here?" Gardevoir asked the mysterious being. A chill wind swept along the top of the building she sat on, but Gardevoir barely noticed. In fact, this new presence seemed to make her forget many of her troubles. She felt like she knew him, or at least felt related to him. And it was a he, though how she knew this was a mystery.

"I came here to listen. Why don't you tell me what's wrong," the calm voice asked, soothing her mind.

"I-" What was wrong? There were so many things wrong with her, but what was even the issue anymore? She couldn't even remember what happened during the last part of the trip to this new city. "Everything I try to do just ends in failure. I'm useless as a psychic pokemon, and I just put my friends in danger," Gardevoir said finally, resting her chin on her knees.

"You should not be so hard on yourself," the being said. "Did your friends tell you to leave? Is that why you're up here alone?"

"Well, one of them did. Ro- My trainer didn't hear the argument. I just wanted to be alone for a bit," she sulked. "I don't even remember what I did, but I think they might be right. I-I'm a danger to others."

"A danger? That doesn't sound like someone useless, quite the opposite in fact."

Something pulled at Gardevoir, telling her not to go on, but for once there was someone who might understand, might know what was wrong with her. "Sometimes, when I'm scared, or angry, I... Lose myself. I can hear this power calling to me, begging to be used, and I can't control it."

The energy being was silent for a moment, but when it spoke, its voice was unchanged, calm and reassuring. "What kind of power?"

"I don't know. It's so strong, and it makes me do things. Things I don't want to." Gardevoir pulled her legs closer, tight in her arms. "I've killed," she whispered, if not for the psychic nature of their communications, the sound would have been lost in the wind. "Please, do you know what it is? Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"Perhaps," the being said slowly. "Is there anything else?"

There was no point in hiding anything else at this point, not after revealing her darkest secret to the pokemon veiled behind his psychic shroud. "Without the power, I can't do anything. Even sensing my surroundings is hard to do, and even that is nothing like what I've heard it should be. Seeing the future, reading minds, I can't do any of it."

The pokemon was silent for a long time, seeming to stand watch over her under the darkening sky. She didn't push him though, a part of her not wanting to hear what the being's response would be. Part of her was scared of what it might say, what she might be.

"Can you be here again in three days?" it asked finally.

Gardevoir couldn't tell anything of what the being felt, no way to judge his attitude towards her. There was only that calm, unchanging voice in her mind. "I don't know. My trainer decides where we go."

"If you can't, I will find you again," and with that, there was only one presence on the roof.

Gardevoir sat for a long time against the cool brick after the psychic being left. Stars glimmered merrily overhead, fending off the darkness that stretched out infinitely. Had she done the right thing in revealing so much to a complete stranger? Her gut said to trust him, but at the same time another part had told her to keep quiet. But if he had answers, why couldn't he have just told her? Was he afraid that she'd go insane at the truth, and unleash her power? Or maybe he didn't know. Maybe there were no answers. There were definitely none to be found sitting on the roof, and the cold was beginning to permeate her very core. With one last look up at the sky, Gardevoir returned to the room below.

A dim light shone when Gardevoir returned to the warm interior of the pokemon center. The others were asleep, except for the source of the dull glow.

Gardevoir's back stiffened. "Did you stay up just to taunt me again? If you're going to try and throw me out, I-I have nowhere else to go."

The fire type didn't meet her eyes, instead looking to the side as his body lit the surroundings in a soft light. "No," Quilava said in barely a whisper, careful as to not wake the others. "I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. Can you bring me somewhere we can talk?"

Nothing indicated that Quilava was lying, and she could feel remorse through her chest fin. After hesitating only a moment she gently placed a hand to his head and they were back on the building's roof. Cool air whipped Gardevoir's hair as she stared out over the lights of the city, an unnatural ward against the darkness of night. She rest her elbows on the wall that encircled the rooftop and waited.

"I'm sorry," Quilava said, his quiet voice clear in the calm night. "I shouldn't have said what I did."  
"It was true though, wasn't it?" The moon reflected in Gardevoir's eyes as she watched the few humans walking below.

Quilava hopped up onto the ledge and sat down. "Even if it had been, I still shouldn't have gone off like that. Twice in a few weeks I've been completely useless to Rob, and we've all almost been killed. Sorry for letting it get to me."

Gardevoir glanced over at the fire type who had joined her in looking out over the city. It was odd to hear some of her own feelings echoed back to her. "What did I do, when I..."

Quilava shrugged. "You were muttering and saying some stuff that didn't really make any sense. And then you woke up, kind of, and started shouting at us. Rob tried to calm you down, and you did something to him." Quilava didn't meet her eyes as he continued. "He started acting strange too, grabbing his head and talking nonsense. The three of us were able to, um, stop you, but Rob was like that for a while. We weren't sure if he was going to get better or what would happen if someone else came by."

Quilava shifted uncomfortable under her gaze but continued his story. "He came back to his senses eventually. I don't think he remembers. The two of you were... I don't know. You had all of us pretty scared."

Gardevoir let the silence hang as she returned to examining the city towering around them. What was she? Could she even be fixed, or was she destined to be a monster? That psychic pokemon that had spoken to her in this exact spot a short while before knew something. He had to know something about her. Three days he had said.

"I'm sorry, and thanks." Gardevoir said, able to keep her voice steady.

"Yeah, I'm sorry too." Neither of them had anything more to say, and after another few minutes Gardevoir returned them to their room below. She quietly made her way to the bed and lay down beside Riolu, careful not to wake the sleeping pokemon. The bed was warm and soft, yet sleep didn't come easily. Riolu looked so peaceful laying there. Gardevoir wanted to hug the pokemon to her, but even Riolu hadn't met her eyes when Quilava had said those things. Did they all fear her? There was only silence as she stared into the darkness.

* * *

Gardevoir woke early the next morning. Despite being exhausted, her body refused to return to sleep, so she instead wrapped the warm blankets around her and stared at the wall. As she lay there Gardevoir tried to let her mind wander, but it always returned to the same question. What was she? It would be a long three days until that pokemon returned, and that was even if Rob hadn't decided to leave the city by then. In fact he hadn't told her of any of his plans. How long had they even been here already while she had lain unconscious? There was movement behind her.

"Gardevoir? You awake?" Riolu's quiet voice returned her to the present.

"Yeah," Gardevoir responded, not moving.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied again. Riolu's arms began to snake around her until she could feel warm fur tickling her back, bringing heat to her pale skin. It was a pleasant feeling.

"Are you sure? You were gone for a long time last night, and Quilava didn't mean those things he said. I'm sure he didn't," the fighting pokemon said into her back.

"It's fine, we talked last night," Gardevoir sent, relaxing against the small pokemon. The heat trapped by soft blue fur soothing away some of the tension of her fears.

"It's not fine, he shouldn't have said that."

Blue arms squeezed around Gardevoir tightly, and she couldn't help but smile at her small friend. If nothing else, at least Riolu didn't seem afraid of her. She would never hurt Riolu. Never that. "He apologized," Gardevoir said, turning to hug Riolu back. "I've heard worse."

"You still never told me about when you were younger," Riolu murmured as she rest her head against Gardevoir's chest.

"When I was younger? We're almost the same age." Gardevoir poked her friend in the side.

"Whatever. I told you about myself," Riolu wriggled against her, attempting to evade Gardevoir's hand.

"It's not important." Gardevoir sighed as she relented and rest her chin against Riolu's fuzzy head.

"You two are up early," came Rob's groggy voice from the other bed. Gardevoir watched as her trainer rose. Faint circles lined his eyes, and his movements lacked their usual vigor. A look of relief accompanied his smile though. "You feeling good enough to go out today Gardevoir?"

Some of the light airy feeling that had infected her yesterday returned at seeing Rob smile at her. "Sure, I feel almost back to normal," she replied.

"Good to hear," Rob said through a yawn as he got up and entered the room's bathroom. The sound of rain came from behind the closed door, but Gardevoir soon pushed the ridiculous thought from her mind. Where would they be going? She doubted it was a gym battle so soon after waking up, but maybe Rob wouldn't be using her again. If it was a gym battle then Rob rarely stayed long afterward. That would mean she wouldn't get to talk with that mysterious psychic pokemon again, and he might have answers she desperately needed. Maybe she could get Rob to stay in the city. Somehow she would. She needed to know.

Rob exited the bathroom a short time later, hair damp but otherwise looking more awake. Gardevoir sat up.

"So where are we going?" she asked, hoping that she kept the anxiety from her mental voice.

"Oh just out for a bit, get some training in for Sandshrew and Quilava, if they ever wake up." Rob emphasized the last two words, but they were met with barely a movement from his two sleeping pokemon. "I swear, those two," he muttered. "Oh, Gardevoir, I was going to wait till you were feeling up to it, but after whatever happened last night, well, maybe this will cheer you up. I got you something."

"Got something for me?" Gardevoir stood apprehensively. No one had ever given her anything before, and what could he have possibly gotten. Rob rummaged through his bag quickly before handing her a small square object.

"What is it?" While the mere gesture sent her heart soaring, Gardevoir couldn't imagine what she would do with it. The object was about the size of her hand, and contained a circle beneath the translucent outer square. It didn't look edible.

"It's called a TM. They're used to help pokemon learn moves they normally couldn't. That one teaches focus blast, a powerful fighting move. It's one of the only fighting moves a psychic type can use effectively. You'll be able to defend yourself against dark types."

The item quickly became heavy in her hands as Gardevoir reverently placed it on the table. "I-I," but the words wouldn't come out. Instead she turned and threw herself at Rob, hugging him tightly and burying her face in his chest. "T-Thank you so much," she sent in a quavering voice, a storm of emotions coursing through her as she clung to her trainer. "You-You're not afraid of me?"

"Of course not," Rob said, running a gentle hand through her hair.

"I hurt you," she whispered, extending tiny claws to latch onto Rob's shirt, their bodies already flush, but she still pulled against him.

"You didn't mean it right? And I barely remember it. You weren't feeling well, and I know you'd never do it on purpose. Don't worry about it."

Gardevoir breathed deep, letting the moment be captured perfectly by her mind. The unconditional acceptance that Rob showed her something she thought impossible.

"Kill the human."

Gardevoir's back stiffened. "Wha-?" It had been a psychic voice, the words echoing through her mind.

"Something wrong?" Rob asked, letting his hands drop from her as he gazed into her eyes.

"It's nothing." Gardevoir looked away before she got lost in the sea of warmth she could feel radiating from Rob and into her chest fin. "I'm just- thank you." The most heartfelt smile of her life painted her face as Gardevoir enjoyed the fading moment she had just shared with her trainer. Rob moved to wake the others, and Gardevoir returned to plop herself down on the bed contentedly.

Nothing could have taken this from her, but there was something else now too. Cruel eyes glared at her back, putting her on edge and tingeing her happiness with unease. But there was nothing there. Even using her powers to feel out the room revealed nothing, yet the feeling remained. For once though, none of her problems paled in comparison to her happiness. Riolu returned to Gardevoir's side, a wide grin on the fighting pokemon's face.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the bustle and crowds of Goldenrod City were disappearing behind the four of them as they headed out onto route 35. It was a pleasant day, not too hot, and with decent cloud coverage to keep the sun from cooking them. Gardevoir walked behind the others, Rob and Sandshrew in the lead with Riolu and Quilava bantering at their heels. While she had usually traveled behind the others, this time it wasn't because of feeling out of place. In fact she almost bounced along the pathway filled with a sense of giddiness.

She watched as Rob led them along, a beacon. Finally she had something to help guide her out of the past. Hopelessness had almost drowned her, and he came to pull her back even though she fought him, but he had won in the end. And now she had to repay him for that, for what he had given her. No more would she let fear and despair cripple her. She had to be stronger. She would be stronger.

Power already flowed through Gardevoir; she could feel it. The real test would be if she was strong enough to use it, to unleash herself on the world. It was always there, singing to her, calling with the enticing promise of her every desire. Strength that thrilled and terrified her, just out of sight yet always present. Not yet, she wasn't strong enough, not just yet.

There was another power too now. The TM, as Rob had called it, had been an interesting device. She wasn't quite sure how it had worked, but it had seemed to unlock something within her, giving insight to something she could have always known, yet had been locked behind ignorance. Well she was in the dark no more. The ability was unlike the others she knew how to perform. If felt raw and powerful, completely unlike the complex manipulation of her mind that her other attacks required. This ability seemed to want to leap from her body. She could hardly wait to try it. It could kill dark types.

"Well here looks like a decent spot, we may even get a trainer or two to come challenge us being so close to the path," Rob called out, indicating a nice sized meadow a few hundred yards off the packed dirt road. He quickly instructed Quilava and Sandshrew in a few warm-up exercises and then sat back to watch. Gardevoir sat down beside him, Riolu on her left.

Quilava squared off with his friend and opponent. "It's been a while, you sure you're ready?"

Sandshrew laughed. "Always. Just make sure you don't embarrass yourself in front of your new girlfriend," he taunted. Quilava looked poleaxed, and Sandshrew jumped at the opportunity. Riolu giggled and leaned against Gardevoir's arm, fur soft against her green skin.

"What did I miss while I was out?" Gardevoir teased her blue furred friend.

"Nothing," Riolu said defensively with a poke to Gardevoir's ribs. "Sandshrew just likes to tease him because we're friends, and he gets so worked up about it. It's cute," she giggled lightly again.

"What was that?" Rob called out as Sandshrew's curled up form slammed into Quilava, carrying them both to the grassy earth, the ground type standing triumphantly. Rob was unable to understand Sandshrew's taunting.

"That was dirty," Quilava growled, brilliant flames leaping to life along his back, heating the air into a violent haze above him. Gardevoir couldn't help but laugh too, enjoying the wave of mirth that washed over her from two of the present pokemon.

"What?" Rob asked, looking to the two of them.

"Nothing," Gardevoir replied with a smile. Heat washed over the three of them as Quilava's attack withered the grass around the impromptu arena as he tried to get fiery revenge on his ground typed friend.

"Do you think Rob would let me fight a little?" Riolu asked, watching intently as the two sparring pokemon leapt and struck out at each other.

"Riolu wants to know if she could try sparring a little," Gardevoir translated the fighting pokemon's request to Rob.

Rob looked at Riolu quickly and back to Gardevoir. "Sure, I don't see why not. She knows she can't fight other trainers or in gym battles for me though right? She's still a wild pokemon..."

"She isn't wild, she was born in captivity," Gardevoir corrected. "But I'm pretty sure she understands." Rob shrugged and returned to watching his pokemon fight as Gardevoir relayed his words to Riolu. The fighting pokemon smiled happily and returned to watching. Fire fended off claws, each burst forcing Sandshrew to dodge or retreat underground to evade getting burned. The ground type managed a few more hits, but neither really tried too hard. Despite the taunts, the pair were good natured about their warm-up.

"Alright, that's good for now you two, take a few minutes, and then you can try and kill each other again." Rob grabbed some water from his pack for the two as Quilava glared at Sandshrew, who still had a wide grin on his face. As the two drank, Riolu ran over to join them.

"Quilava you were magnificent!" Riolu said in praise, throwing her arms around the fire type. Sandshrew coughed up the water he was drinking and fell to the ground in a fit of laughter.

"You know I expect this from him," Quilava bristled, awkwardly pulling himself away from Riolu.

"What's going on?" Rob asked watching the trio.

"They're just teasing Quilava a bit," Gardevoir replied with a twinkling laugh as the fire type sulked away from Riolu's praise.

"I mean he seemed a little distracted but his fighting wasn't that bad," Rob said in defense of his pokemon.

Gardevoir smiled. "Oh it isn't about his fighting really, more about _why _he was distracted." She looked up to see a slight frown on her trainer's face.

"I don't know if you'd know how, or if what I heard is even true, but someone at the academy said that psychic pokemon could link with their trainers so they could understand what pokemon said. You wouldn't be able to do that would you?" Rob looked to her but she quickly glanced away.

"No," Gardevoir replied immediately. "Or, I mean, I don't know if anything like that is possible," she muttered at the grass.

"Ah, oh well. I figured it was worth asking. Not being able to understand them is a little frustrating sometimes, but at least I have you here." Rob returned his attention to the others. His words thrilled and guilted her. It hadn't been a lie, not really. She really didn't know if it were possible, or how she would do it, but it hadn't been the first time someone had asked her to do something of that nature. Back when Wes had first received her, he had wanted something similar, to be able to access her mind. The question had made her think of nothing else.

There might be a way to do it, and now that she thought about it there might be a way, but she didn't dare try. Gardevoir had no idea what the effect would be, but once the link was established, the other person would be able to see into her mind. Not fully, and maybe not even enough to glean the most basic of feelings, but it wasn't a chance she was willing to take.

Movement brought her back to the present however as Rob moved towards the others, leaving her sitting on the grass by herself. After a few minutes of instruction, and a little extra for Riolu, Quilava and the young fighting type were out on the field under Rob's watchful eye. Sandshrew came to take a seat next to her as they prepared to watch the next match.

"This should be interesting eh?" the ground type asked, still harboring a sly grin as he watched the two. "He might not show it, but I think Quilava has caught quite an interest in your friend."

"Wait you weren't just teasing him?" Gardevoir asked.

"Oh I was teasing him, but they spent an awful lot of time together while you were out. And Riolu was pretty torn up about you; she was a mess the day she finally reached us in the city." Sandshrew said, letting his smile slip for just a moment. "But Quilava was there for her."

"I see," Gardevoir said looking back towards the pair who were now sparring lightly. She was about to continue but Sandshrew spoke up first.

"Speaking of which, how are you holding up?"

"I'll be fine," she replied, and for once she actually believed herself. "I was honestly more worried about you guys getting away. Those two pokemon, they... Well I know them. They wouldn't have hesitated to kill you, and I couldn't stop them," she said, staring intensely into the long grass in front of her. Now she could though; she just had to get stronger, strong enough that she could protect Rob and the others.

"Well we all made it out, and even managed to pull you out of the fire," Sandshrew said with a grin. "You look better than you did. Different. I told you things would start looking up."

Gardevoir smiled in remembrance. "I guess so, thanks."

"Your Riolu is hopeless," Rob said, landing heavily on the ground with a sigh.

"She's doesn't belong to anyone," Gardevoir corrected. "And you should give her credit for her enthusiasm," she said as the blue furred pokemon charged relentlessly at Quilava, attacks coming within inches before the fire type could duck away. A fountain of light and heat shot out to try and stave off the onslaught, but Riolu quickly rolled and launched herself at Quilava once again in tireless pursuit. She was a blur against the swaying grass.

"Come on, fight me," Riolu's shout carried to the three onlookers.

"But we're only supposed to be-" but Quilava was cut off as he had to once again was forced to evade Riolu's steel backed paw. Rob sighed again, lying back in the soft grass.

Gardevoir looked down at him. "You never let me train or battle anymore," she said.

"You're too strong," Rob replied with a slight chuckle. "Besides, you probably know better how to practice than I could show you."

"I guess." It might have been true, but she needed to be stronger, and soon. Having no one to practice with made that much harder though.

Rob looked up at her from his spot on the ground. "You could always try out your new attack; it will probably take you a while to get used to. Fighting type moves take physical strength, not just concentration and your psychic energy."

Yes, the new attack that could kill dark types. Gardevoir rose, concentrating on the ability she had just learned. It seemed like a simple thing thanks to the square object's help. With an outstretched hand, she focused, forcing her body's energy into her green palm. A light blue orb coalesced, swirling with the very energy of her life. It needed more. Gardevoir poured herself into the attack, imagining the snarling black visage that stalked her dreams leaping towards her, and she released it.

The focus blast lanced through the air, exploding as it struck a distant tree. Where it connected, the tree was no more. Wood splinters ripped through the air like shrapnel. The tree itself dropped as the trunk that had supported it no longer existed. Even Riolu and Quilava stopped dead at the noise and turned to watch the green and brown behemoth crash to the ground.

Gardevoir never saw her handiwork though. As soon as the sphere left her hand the world spun, and she found herself on hands and knees in the grass, panting. Life had been leeched from her limbs and thrown off into the distance, leaving her gasping for air as if she had just sprinted for miles.

"Wow that was one- Are you okay?" Rob's hand came to rest on her shoulder as he turned to her.

"Fine," she forced out as lucidity began to return. Her chest heaved, the exertion of draining her body so quickly a shock to her system.

"I told you to take it easy. That attack isn't like your others; you're not used to that kind of strain," Rob said, handing her a bottle of water.

Taking the bottle she found that one hand was not enough to support her drained body, and she moved to sit down.

"Here," Rob motioned and turned so that she could rest against his shoulder.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine in a minute. I can try again; I'll do better." Gardevoir drank, resting against her trainer's side. She wriggled slightly to get a more comfortable position.

"You're done for the day. I told you to take it easy. If you keep pushing yourself like that you're just going to get hurt. There will be plenty of time for you to practice," Rob said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Fine," she replied quietly, letting her head fall back against him. Maybe he was right; the attack had taken a lot out of her. A light breeze swept across the field as Gardevoir closed her eyes for just a moment. Resting against her trainer like this was nice.


	12. Into the Unknown

"Wake up."

A firm hand was shaking her back to consciousness. Gardevoir's vision was blurred as she opened tired eyes. Sleep had been so much nicer; just a few more minutes would...

"Gardevoir, wake up."

She blinked to see Rob's face. "What is it?" she asked wearily. Maybe she had overdone it a bit. Every inch of her body begged for her to go back to sleep.

Rob pulled her to her feet. "Come on, there's someone hurt."

Shaky legs barely supported her as she lurched upwards, clinging to Rob's hand. The world seemed to pull her downward more heavily than normal, but the tension in Rob's voice made her focus. Another human was stumbling down the path. Red stained his torn clothes. He had no pokemon out with him, but he looked like a trainer. As soon as she was on her feet, Rob and the others were already running to the human. Gardevoir followed as quickly as she could manage.

"Hey are you okay? What happened?" Rob asked as he approached the injured man.

"Got attacked. A whole pack of Nidoran. Never seen anything like it," the man panted. He was probably close to the same age as Rob, though his torn and bloodied clothing might have made him seem older. "They just came out of nowhere."

Rob turned to her as she caught up. "Gardevoir, can you take us back to the pokemon center?"

She shook her head. "I don't think I could make it myself right now. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he told her before returning his attention to the injured man. "Do you think you'll make it back to town? I can run ahead to get help if you need."

"No, I'll manage I think. My pokemon were able to fend them off, and thankfully I wasn't poisoned myself. I'd appreciate an escort back though," the man said, finally catching his breath a little.

"Yeah of course, let me grab my stuff real quick." Rob ran back to grab his bags. While they waited Gardevoir looked closer at the man. While numerous, his wounds didn't look too bad. Most of the scratches were superficial. It was probably pretty painful, but he wouldn't be in any serious danger.

"Alright, let's go," Rob said as he returned. "If you need to take a break just let me know."

The man nodded and the group headed off down the path back towards Goldenrod. Rob's three pokemon, and Riolu, trailed behind the two humans. The sun had moved past its peak already as they walked. She must have been asleep for over an hour, not that it seemed to have helped much. As they walked Gardevoir tried to listen to Rob's conversation, anything to keep her mind off the fatigue that burned in her limbs.

"How far out were you? Is your team okay?" Rob asked.

"Yeah they're fine, a little roughed up but nothing serious. A few were poisoned but nothing a couple antidotes couldn't fix. I wasn't even that far out, and it was right off the path," the man replied.

"That's crazy; I had a similar incident myself few weeks back." Rob kept them at a decent pace, but nothing the injured man couldn't handle. In fact Gardevoir might have been having the hardest time keeping up. Each step was harder than the last. If it kept up she'd have to ask Rob to return her to the pokeball, a less than envious thought.

"No kidding, Nidoran?" the man asked.

Rob grimaced. "Ekans."

"Well, I guess we can count ourselves lucky then. One of the nurses warned me that travel along Route 35 had almost stopped completely, and that the pokemon were acting strange. Apparently a number of trainers have had a run in with swarms. I didn't imagine it would be this bad though. This wasn't territorial or anything, they just seemed angry for no reason."

Gardevoir listened as the man spoke. He was right; pokemon didn't act like that, not usually. The foggy memories that she had, few and indistinct as they were, always seemed peaceful and happy. Hunting in packs like that just to kill didn't make any sense. It felt wrong. Listening to the conversation wasn't working anymore though, and she struggled to maintain focus on every step.

Color slowly faded from the surroundings as the group left the greens and browns of Route 35 and entered the maze of gray. Gardevoir was breathing heavier than the injured man beside Rob. She barely noticed the people and buildings passing by, all of her attention focused on Rob's back. As long as she kept him in sight, she would make it.

The familiar red and white building loomed ahead, its glass walls glistening in the fading sunlight. Soon she could be in bed, just a little longer. Their entrance caused quite a stir however. The injured man, followed by the small procession of pokemon, drew the attention of trainer and staff alike.

"My goodness sir, are you okay?" a nurse asked rushing up to them.

"I'll live," the man said to the nurse before turning to Rob. "I really appreciate the help, maybe next time we'll meet under better circumstances," he said with a grin.

"Hey don't mention it. I wasn't about to just leave you out there. Best of luck, and get better soon," Rob said with a small wave.

"Will do," the man returned the wave as he let the nurse lead him towards the exam rooms.

Gardevoir almost collapsed onto Rob's shoulder. "Can we go back to the room please? I'm so tired..." she asked, clinging to Rob to remain standing.

"Hmm? Are you-" but he cut off as he turned to see her. "Why didn't you say something sooner, you don't look well. I could have carried you back in your pokeball. You could have rested."

"I don't like being in those things," she muttered as her body was mostly supported by Rob. Strong arms held her up as his concerned eyes warmed her almost as much as his skin against hers. She could have fallen asleep right there. Her vision swam.

"Hey, easy there, we'll get you to the room in a moment," he said beginning to lead her in the direction of the trainer rooms. They didn't make it uninterrupted though.

"Excuse me, but I'd like to talk with you a brief moment," a hard voice called out, causing Rob to halt with Gardevoir leaned on his shoulder. It was the woman from before, the one who had asked all those questions about Rob. She could feel contempt radiating from the woman with her powers.

The officer's severe uniform was crisp, immaculately worn with each bit of metal polished to a mirror-like shine. "I'd like to know what your involvement with that man you walked in is."

"I uh, just met him," Rob said, taken aback at the suddenness of the officer's questions. "He was walking along the path. Apparently he was attacked by a swarm, but I'm sure he could tell you more."

"And why were you with him?" the officer asked as she looked over Rob's other pokemon.

"I walked him back, just in case. Did I do something wrong or am I free to go? My Gardevoir needs to rest for a bit."

"Didn't she just wake from a severe injury? And you're already pushing her hard enough she can barely stand? This is the second incident that fits with the pattern we've been investigating, I'd really like to-" the officer said, but Gardevoir had enough.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," she growled at the woman. "Why don't you just-" but a gentle hand on her shoulder quieted her.

"Take it easy," Rob said in a voice that soothed her anger towards the officer, his firm touch imparting her trainer's confidence. The officer gave her one more inquisitive look but turned a heated glare back to Rob.

"Don't leave town," the officer said and stalked off.

"C'mon, let's get you back to the room." Rub gave her shoulder a light squeeze before they moved off towards the room. Once inside Gardevoir moved straight for the inviting bed, half laying, half collapsing onto it. In seconds she was asleep.

* * *

"Gardevoir, wake up." Something was poking her in the side. With a yawn Gardevoir opened her eyes to the bright morning sunlight. Riolu stood over her smiling down. "Finally, I thought you were going to be asleep all day again."

Gardevoir blinked to clear her eyes as she sat up. Someone had placed a blanket over her as she slept. "How long was I asleep for?" she asked. Her body felt rejuvenated, not a trace of fatigue left.

"All of yesterday, lazy," Riolu teased. A quick glance around the room showed that the others were already awake. The soft patter of rain came from the other side of the wall, probably Rob. While she felt much better, her stomach growled. There were some boxes on the room's singular table that looked quite inviting, and Gardevoir moved to peruse their contents.

"Did Rob say what we were doing today?" she asked, poking through a few of the boxes looking for something easy to eat.

"Nope," Riolu replied from the bed. "His aura has been a little off since yesterday though, and he disappeared for a bit while you were sleeping."

Gardevoir frowned as she picked out one of the containers and popped a tangy piece of vegetable into her mouth. It was even better when not hot. "His aura is off?" Gardevoir asked as she sat back down on the bed, picking through the food.

"Mhmm, he seems distracted," Riolu said, coming closer to examine what Gardevoir was eating. She knew very little of the young fighting types abilities. Rob's other two pokemon lay about on the other bed talking quietly about battling tactics. Some of their ideas were just silly, but a few might work. If nothing else it broke the silence as Gardevoir enjoyed her breakfast. The sound of rain stopped and a few minutes later Rob stepped from the bathroom.

"Oh, welcome back Gardevoir," Rob greeted with a smile. "I was going to suggest we go somewhere for breakfast but it looks like you beat me to it," he said as Gardevoir licked one of her green fingers.

"I could eat more; I only had a little..." She trailed off as she looked down at the empty container.

Rob laughed. "Well we're stuck here in the city for at least a few more days, so if there's anything you want to do just let me know."

"What I want to do?" she asked. Gardevoir had no idea what humans did in their cities. At least a few days though, that meant she'd be able to meet with that pokemon who had spoken to her on the roof. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

"As long as you take it easy, I'm not going to let you kill yourself just because you're impatient," he said. Gardevoir watched as he pulled a clean shirt over his head. Humans were weird with their clothing. Why did Rob even bother with the strange garments? He looked nicer without the dark blue cloth that now covered him.

"Sorry," she said quietly. "And sorry about yelling at that woman, I didn't mean to get you in trouble with the other humans."

"Don't worry about it," Rob replied as he bent down to rummage through his pack. "I was speaking with some other trainers yesterday and apparently she's like that with everyone. Although I have seemed to catch her attention," he sighed. "It should only be a few more days. And besides, the man we helped yesterday hasn't been the only one to be attacked. It might be best to wait until things calm down anyway. Once was enough for me."

As Rob finished doing his usual human things, Gardevoir leaned back on the bed. There were so many strange rules to being a human; maybe she could have Rob explain some of them to her. Then again it might just be easier not knowing. Their rules didn't seem to make much sense anyway.

"Sandshrew, in two minutes you can warm up your claws on Quilava for a little morning practice," Rob said as he began to pack his bag. His words had an immediate effect on the two sleeping pokemon, both jumping to their feet. Sandshrew eagerly waited, brandishing his claws with a predatory grin while Quilava backed away from his ground typed friend, eying Rob with sleepy reproach. "Don't look at me like that; the sun has been up for hours already."

It was another pleasant day once they were out in the city. The streets were still busy, but they weren't crowded like they normally were. Rob had said that most of the humans were working. And with a stroke of courage, Gardevoir managed to walk beside her trainer for a change.

Her stride was shorter than his, but he walked at an easy pace this morning. The white gown that adorned her caught in the warm breeze and rippled about her, emphasizing her natural grace. Rob didn't say much as they walked, but the emotions she felt from her four companions were more than enough to keep her happy.

"What are we doing?" Gardevoir asked as they walked away from the pokemon center and deeper into the forest of buildings that towered around them.

"I dunno," Rob replied, "just walking around a bit I guess. We can grab something to eat and then find somewhere to take it easy for the day. I keep promising we're going to rest for a while but things just seem to keep popping up," he said with chagrin.

"Either way, I scheduled a gym match, but in a city this large, there's quite a waiting list. It's in two more days so we'll be here until then at least. Like I said if there's anything you want to do let me know, or if the others mention anything," Rob added.

"I don't know. What do humans usually do for fun?" Gardevoir asked.

Rob shrugged. "I was always an odd human so I might not be the best judge of it. But it doesn't have to be human stuff. What kind of things do you like?"

"I've never really thought about it," Gardevoir replied, looking inwards for a moment. "No one has ever asked."

Rob winced at her words. "Sorry I didn't mean to-"

"No don't be," Gardevoir said cutting him off. She didn't want to mar his good mood. They continued on in silence, Gardevoir continuing to just enjoy being near others who didn't hate or fear her. Friends.

After a quick stop at a food shop, Rob found them a small area with a few benches to sit down and eat. He passed each of them a paper wrapped morsel before taking one himself and opened it.

"I thought you might like these," he said turning to Gardevoir as she tried to figure out the wrapping. "You're supposed to just eat them with your hands."

She didn't know if it was the added bonus of not requiring a fork, but the food was excellent. A thick crusty bread surrounded hot egg and cheese that stuck to the inside of her mouth. It was well worth the effort of eating.

"There's a small lake just off Route 35 we could check out," Rob said as he leaned back on the bench, finished with his meal. "Then there's the game corner, but you guys couldn't play, and we haven't exactly had much luck of late. Or I guess we could just wander around the city."

They had all looked at him while he talked, but as soon as Rob finished, the others went back to eating. Gardevoir had already wolfed hers down so she just shrugged.

"Lot of help you all are," Rob muttered. Clouds drifted in overhead and shaded them momentarily from the sun. Gardevoir watched as they floated above, puffy and impossibly out of reach. What the world would look like from up there? It was an odd though, something she wouldn't have entertained in the past. Brought up in such a hostile environment, even the quiet moments had been filled with fear and anxiety. But out here, amongst people she considered friends, this idle time was enjoyable. She could have just sat there on the bench, next to Rob, forever.

Waiting for the others to finish didn't take long, and as soon as they were done, Rob was once again leading them off down the gray-scale streets. Route 35 looked exactly the same as it had the day before. The strange transition from sprawling metropolis to open wilderness was abrupt, but Gardevoir couldn't tell exactly where one stopped and the other began. As they entered the dirt path and sparse trees, the city was easy to forget.

Walking to the lake didn't take very long, and it wasn't a very big lake, but its clear waters were surrounded by soft grass and the occasional wide trunked tree. Gardevoir followed Rob down towards the water's edge where he dropped his pack and sat down.

"You guys can do whatever you want; I'm just going to relax here for a bit." Rob turned to her. "Just leave the trees alone, okay?"

Gardevoir blinked as Rob lay back on the grass, hands beneath his head. "That's it?" she asked.

"Hey, you didn't have any other ideas so we're going with mine. Besides, it's nice here. Go enjoy yourself," Rob said, his voice relaxed as he rest in the spongy grass. A fragrant breeze carried off the lake, bringing the scent of water and summer flora. The other three pokemon headed towards the lake edge, but Gardevoir sat down beside her trainer, watching over him.

"You know it's kind of eerie with you staring down at me like that," Rob said, opening an eye to look back up at her.

"Do humans do this often?" Gardevoir asked.

Rob shrugged from his reclined position. "There was a pond back where I lived that I used to visit all the time. This is similar enough. It was always a nice place to spend some time or think things over."

"Think about what?"

"Whatever," Rob replied with a chuckle. "Try it, lay back and just let your mind wander."

She regarded him for a moment. It didn't sound like a relaxing activity, but then again his mind wasn't plagued by a dark past and an uncertain future. But it couldn't hurt to try. Gardevoir lay back and let herself sink into the soft grass. To her surprise, with the calm of the lake and closeness to her trainer, not even Absol stalked her thoughts. Gardevoir wriggled just a bit closer to Rob, almost touching his arm, and let herself relax.

The sun beaming down on her pale skin as the light breeze kept her cool, and only the human lying next to her was on her mind. Everything he had done for her, all of her problems he put up with. Surely it would have been easier to just leave her there on the ground to die, or keep her locked in a pokeball. He had even let Riolu tag along with her despite whatever rules it might be against with barely a question.

Her telepathic voice was quiet as she sent words to her trainer's mind. "Why do you do it?"

"Do what?" Rob's voice replied, lazy in the warm air.

"Everything. Put up with me, keep us all out of our pokeballs, let Riolu stay. You keep us company instead of spending time with other humans." Gardevoir turned to look at his calm form lying next to her. "You saved me, and not just from death the day I teleported to your house."

Rob didn't respond to her immediately, letting a moment pass before answering. The sounds of wildlife, and the other three pokemon, played a soft melody in the background.

"I guess you could say I've never really been a good human." Rob's voice still held his usual lightheartedness, but it also contained a more contemplative note as well. "The reason I became a trainer was for things like this. To just get away from everything and worry about ourselves. I know that sounds selfish, but that seems to be the norm for us humans. I'm sure you know that better than me." Gardevoir watched as Rob spoke, his eyes closed, chest rising and falling softly in the sunlight.

"Back in the academy, there were plenty of people who had nothing on their mind besides besting the Johto League and becoming Champion. The strongest trainer of the region. I'd be lying if I said the thought hadn't crossed my mind, but some people saw pokemon as nothing but a means of getting there.

"A lot of the people I went to school with were like that, and that's something I never wanted to become. All of the training, the gym fights. If any of you didn't want to fight, I wouldn't mind giving it up. But right now it's something to do, and it's been paying well enough to live off, so why not right?"

Gardevoir turned to her side and brought a hand tentatively to his arm, brushing against the soft fabric of his shirt. At her touch Rob glanced to his side, looking back at her.

"All of you seem so innocent," he said meeting her gaze. Green eyes held her own captive. "Every time your face lights up at some new food, or watching you look about the city all wide eyed, to think there are people who only see you as weapons. Even if it's only the four of you, I can at least maybe do some good. That seems like a decent enough reason to me anyway, more than anything else I could be doing with my life right now. And who knows what's going to come around tomorrow, maybe I'll find something better for us. But for now, hopefully this is good enough."

Gardevoir didn't know how to respond. Kindness she had never imagined to hear, especially from a human. She pulled his arm towards her and hugged it. The soft fabric of his sleeve pressed to her face as she brought him closer to her.

Her psychic voice dropped to a whisper. "You're a good person. I'll do everything I can to protect you, even if it means giving my life."

Rob brought his other hand to stroke her head. "Don't waste your life on such a foolish goal, but hopefully I'll never lead us into a position where that would be necessary again."

Gardevoir ignored Rob's words as she clung to him. No matter what he said, she would protect him. His life was worth than hers. The world needed more humans like him; it didn't need more destruction, and that was all she was good for.

* * *

Riolu shook her fur out, spraying the others with a light mist of water. Fighting always gave her such a thrill. It was the only time she truly felt free, her mind empty except for the enemy before her. Of course here it was only Quilava and Sandshrew, so they weren't enemies, but it had still been fun.

"Is that necessary?" Quilava whined as he shied away from the droplets freed from her fur. Riolu pounced on him, the pair of the rolling a few times.

"It's just a little water," she teased, wrapping her arms around him.

Quilava struggled in her grip. "Get off me; you're all wet."

Riolu buried her face in the soft fur of Quilava's chest. "And you're nice and warm." She tightened her grip on the fire type and rest against him. His struggles stopped with a sigh of resignation. Heat built up in her friend's fur and warmth began to suffuse through her.

"What was it like being raised by humans for you?" Riolu asked as she relaxed, her arms wrapped around Quilava. Steam rose in faint wisps through her fur.

His voice was a little ruffled from her rough treatment, but it still held the kindness that had drawn her to him. "Hmm? Weren't you as well? I thought Gardevoir mentioned it."

"I just want to hear about it. Where I was born was... Hostile."

Quilava shifted a little underneath her, his arms running over her fur. "What do you mean, were the humans-" but Riolu cut him off.

"Please?"

With another sigh Quilava acquiesced. "I don't know what to say about it. Everything was provided for us, we got to live in a nice open place, and there were plenty of other pokemon around to play with. There were even lots of humans around, probably to get us used to them since we were being sent to new trainers. Nothing that I would call hostile." Quilava's arms gripped her tighter, returning the impromptu hug.

Riolu smiled into his fur. Of the few humans she had met in her life, Rob had been the only one who didn't have a darkness in their aura. And until meeting him, she hadn't known it was possible. But maybe there were others, maybe they weren't as bad as she thought. Gardevoir was beginning to think so, even if she didn't say it. The ones who raised Quilava didn't sound so bad either.

Quilava nudged her. "You know that was the perfect opportunity to explain what you meant."

"It's not important," Riolu said with a deep, content breath as she nuzzled into Quilava's neck.

"Your coat is soft." Quilava's compliment made her heart light as she pressed against him. Her kind might not be as good as psychic types, but even her small ability with aura was enough to sense the true feelings of others if they were strong enough.

She could get lost in his warmth forever. "Thank you – for being my friend, and for everything."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful for Gardevoir. Neither she nor Rob had moved from their spot in the grass, much to Gardevoir's delight. She felt a safety being close to Rob, and a simple feeling of happiness. He had been right; this place was nice.

"We should probably head back to the pokemon center," Rob said as he gently pulled his arm from her grip.

Gardevoir protested but sat up with him. "Why don't we do this more often?"

Rob chuckled. "So you ended up enjoying yourself then? We can take it a little easier if you want. I hope anyway; when we aren't on the run." She frowned at him, but he only ruffled her hair.

As the group of them walked back into the city, the sky overhead began to dim. Light blue turned to a brilliant mural of orange and reds. Clouds moved in overhead to menace the human city below. As the city began to spring up around them, Gardevoir's mind turned to her meeting with the strange pokemon on the rooftop. The only problem was getting away from the others. Would Rob even let her go? She couldn't explain to him why she was leaving. Not yet, not before she knew what she was. Maybe not even then.

Rob stopped at a restaurant for a quick meal before they continued to their room at the pokemon center. Once they had made it back, the sky was almost the complete darkness of a cloudy night. She needed to get going as to not miss her chance to again speak with the enigmatic pokemon, and she stood in the room thinking. The others took their places in the room as Rob flipped on the light box he called a TV and went into the bathroom.

As her mind raced, the familiar sound of rain came from behind the closed door again, and an idea struck her.

"Rob? I know I can't hear you, but I'm going to leave for a bit." Her telepathic voice would be heard clearly despite the walls. "I'll explain later, but this is important. Please trust me." And with that, she teleported to the roof.

Dark clouds filled the sky above and blocked out any starlight that tried to shine down. The air was heavy with the impending rain, a storm from the looks of it. She had no idea when the mysterious pokemon would show himself again, but there was nothing to do but wait. Soon she would know what was wrong with her.

The brick pressed cold and rough on her skin as she sat against the roof's low wall. Any heat left from the day had quickly been absorbed by the chill night. Even the city was quiet compared to its usual bustle. If it started to rain, she could create a barrier against the water, and she doubted the incorporeal form of the psychic type would be bothered. He would be here soon.

Time crawled by as Gardevoir sat with her psychic powers feeling for any presence. Her tensed with anticipation.

Without warning, he was there. "Hello little one."

Gardevoir jumped to her feet at the sudden appearance. "You came."

"Yes, like I said." The being's voice was clear in her mind with its ancient strength.

"Do, do you know what's wrong with me?" Gardevoir asked. Her breath caught as she waited for him to speak.

"I want to warn you. Do not purse this." The being's voice didn't change as he spoke. "You will not find what you are looking for in what I can tell you."

Gardevoir's throat tightened as a pit formed in her stomach. "I can't run from this. I need to know what I am." She didn't breathe as she waited for a response.

"Are you positive?"

Her heart pounded. "Yes."

"What is the earliest memory you have?"

The question caught Gardevoir off guard. "My earliest memory? I don't remember much from before I was caught by humans. There are a few of my parents, and I remember being captured but..."

"You have forgotten."

"Forgotten what?" she asked the being. His cryptic words weren't making any sense; she had come here for answers.

"That is not for me to say. I can return your sight but no more. Before I do anything however, I give you this last chance to turn back. Once done, there is no undoing it. The truth will destroy you. You will not find happiness down this path."

"I don't understand, what do you mean? My sight? I just want to know what is wrong with me. What is this power I have?" The hair on the back of her neck stood. This wasn't going at all like she imagined. Why couldn't he just tell her? The being remained silent as he waited for her answer.

"Fine, if you won't answer me then I have no choice. I want to know what I am," Gardevoir said. She had never felt as sure about anything in her life. Whatever the cost was, she would pay it; she had to know

The being began to move towards her. "So be it. Just remember, I tried to stop you." A hand made of psychic energy reached towards her. On contact, numbness spread throughout Gardevoir's body, and darkness consumed her.

* * *

Gardevoir woke. Or maybe she didn't, but awareness was returned to her. Black extended in every direction, infinite and absolute. No floor supported her, yet she stood, the strange lighting of the place illuminating her perfectly. She had been here before.

"You should have listened."

Gardevoir spun. Behind her stood Abra with a wide grin across his face. A mirthless, predatory grin.

"But- You can't-" she backed away from his bloodied form. "What did you do to me? What is this place?"

"Idiot." Blood dripped from that heartless smiled as Abra advanced on her. "But then again I should be thanking you. You are no longer blinded. This is good."

Fear battled with anger inside Gardevoir. "What are you? What is this place? Answer me!" she shouted. "I just wanted to know what I am. You know what this place is. Tell me!" She raised her hand, reaching for her psychic powers. That thing wasn't Abra no matter what his appearance. If she had to beat the answers out of it, she would.

Nothing happened, and Abra's grin deepened. "Your powers are nothing here. Don't waste our time. You want to know what this place is? Then look around; you can see now."

"What does that even mean?" Gardevoir asked as she backed away from the thing that wore Abra's face.

"Look," Abra commanded. Intensity burned in the creature's gaze. "Truly look, and you will see." His eyes gleamed hungrily, but he stopped moving towards her.

For a moment Gardevoir looked away from Abra and examined the blackness around them more closely, but there was nothing in the vast emptiness besides the two of them.

She brought her gaze back to Abra. "There's nothing there."

"You're pathetic. Fine, I will leave as you clearly have no control over yourself. Look." And with that, he was gone.

Gardevoir almost hesitated. Anything that monster wanted couldn't possibly be good, but at the same time if this would give her answers... Focusing on anything other than Abra's destroyed body was difficult, and the way it spoke sent chills down her spine. It knew something, whatever the creature was, and she needed to know as well. With her mind cleared, Gardevoir noticed a tiny spec amongst the blackness. It shone like the faintest star in the night sky, albeit solitary in the emptiness around here. She looked closer.

The spec of light grew rapidly. Gardevoir's stomach lurched as the strange place shifted around her. She was no longer in the empty void. Instead, the familiar walls of Rob's house stood around her. Wide eyed, Gardevoir examined the interior. Everything was just as she remembered it. Everything except for the colors. Once warm and inviting, everything in the house now took on a washed and unnatural hue. The house looked dead.

"Predictable."

Gardevoir spun to find once again that Abra had snuck up behind her. "You. What is this?" she asked once again to her stalker.

Abra advanced on her. "You still haven't figured it out?" The crushed section of his chest glistened in stark contrast with the muted colors of the house. Blood dripped to the floor where it left brilliant spots of color. "Think. _Look,_" the creature said continuing his advance.

Gardevoir's back bumped against the wall behind her. "Why can't you just give me a straight answer?" She watched as the creature drew nearer. Eyes bore into her from above a drooling red grin.

Abra stopped inches in front of her. "Do something for yourself for once." His voice dripped with disgust. "Always relying on others. You're useless. Back in the basement you relied on me to help you get by. After my death, you did nothing but brood while others took care of you. And now you want my help again," he spat. A three fingered hand touched the horrific wound in his side and then pressed against her pale stomach.

Gardevoir shuddered as the warm, wet hand pressed against her. She could feel the thick liquid touch her, leaving a sticky red mark in the shape of Abra's hand on her skin.

"Look." Abra's eyes burned. Eyes that forced her to look away, and she saw. The house was ablaze around them, not with fire, but with energy. She took a step forward, unaware of Abra as he moved out of her way, eyes filled with glee.

Every window was washed in blinding amounts of psychic energy. Doors throughout the house were similarly marked. Some were open, others shut. Gardevoir moved to one of the windows. Beyond was dark and hazy. Shadows moved around behind the glass, their indistinct forms unknowable through the thick psychic distortion. There was another window next to the first and she tried to look through that one. Again the view beyond was obscured, but the scene was different, almost pure white. The views from the adjacent windows were impossible.

None of this helped; there had to be something useful here. Gardevoir moved out of the kitchen and into one of the hallways. A door lit by the fiery blue energy shone against the color-drained walls, humming slightly, resonating with her mind. She placed a hand to the handle and opened the door. No closet lay behind beyond, but the infinite blackness, a different darkness than she had come from.

A noise came from the void, a familiar, haunting melody that she had never heard before. It called to her, calmed her racing heart and soothed her mind. Gardevoir almost stepped out through the threshold before stopping. She had no idea what would happen. What if this place could be dangerous? What if she couldn't get back? With a great deal of willpower she shut the door. The song stopped.

Gardevoir stared at the closed door for a long time. Energy still blazed around the portal to that strange place. For some reason she wasn't afraid of this imitation of Rob's house. She should be terrified of it, and yet it felt natural despite nothing inside being anything of the sort. An idea struck her. Gardevoir walked back through the kitchen and down another hallway. She stopped right outside of Rob's room. The door was closed.

It shone just like the other. In fact all of the doors shone in exactly the same way. With a deep breath Gardevoir put a hand to the handle and turned. The door didn't budge. She tried putting all her weight against the door, but once again it remained firm.

"It won't open," a voice came from her right, and Gardevoir turned to see Abra watching her.

"Why not?" Gardevoir asked, but the creature only smiled at her.

"Have you still not figured it out?" he asked in exasperation. "Follow me."

Gardevoir hesitated as she watched the pokemon walk away without waiting for her to follow. It couldn't hurt to at least see what he wanted to show her. They walked through the house until the pair of them reached the front door. Unlike the other doors though, this one was surrounded by crimson energy. The dark red light seemed to reach out towards her.

Abra stepped to the side so she had a clear view. "Beyond this door are the answers you're looking for. Open it."

Gardevoir stood before the imposing red light. Her stomach warmed in its presence, and she looked down. The three fingered mark on her body blazed with the same kind of energy, almost as dark as the blood that had left it. She took a step closer.

"Open it," a thousand voices echoed in her mind. The wings of a thousand insects whispered the command to her. A shaking hand reached out to touch the doorknob. "Open it." The voices were louder, thundering in her mind, drowning out any other thoughts. Cool metal pressed against her hand as her fingers tightened around the knob. "Open it." The booming chorus pushed everything from her mind as her body surrendered to the voices. "Open it." She turned the handle.

As if burned, Gardevoir jumped back. "Stop!" she shouted and clapped her hands to her head. Silence.

"Open it!" Abra shouted, but the moment was gone.

Gardevoir panted as she tried to regain her composure. She trembled before the brilliance of the crimson door, unsure of what had just happened.

Her voice shook. "Why do you want me to open that one? What are you?"

A wild snarl crossed Abra's face. "Useless. This was a waste of time!" The crimson mark on her stomach scalded her skin, and the room faded to blackness.

* * *

The light flickering from the TV went unnoticed as Rob waited. He trusted Gardevoir, but she had been gone for a while now, and it had started raining almost an hour ago. Riolu had indicated that she was on the rooftop once again, but what she could possibly be doing up there he had no idea. With a quiet snap his psychic pokemon was standing in the room.

Rob's eyes shot towards her and he jumped to his feet. "Gardevoir are you okay?" There was no response as she swayed on her feet. Water dripped to the floor as Rob moved to her. He hissed as his hands touched her skin. "You're freezing. Come on, let's get you dried off." After grabbing a towel from the bathroom Rob draped it around Gardevoir, though she barely seemed to notice. Her eyes stared right through him.

"Are you okay? Say something to me. Do you need to see someone at the pokemon center? I can have them look over-" but his words seemed to get her attention.

Red eyes flashed up at him. "No." Gardevoir's arms shot up to grab him, and her tiny claws sunk into his skin. "Don't leave me with them."

Rob winced as the claws pierced his shirt. "Okay okay, just calm down, what happened?" The claws receded but he didn't get any further response. She just stood there. With a sigh Rob began to dry her off. It was always something. Gardevoir didn't give any indication of noticing even as he dried her hair, the towel covering her face. After he had finished doing the best he could he led her to the unoccupied bed.

She lay down with a little help from him and he pulled the covers over her. As he tried to move away she grabbed him again.

"Don't go." Her voice was weak in his mind, and her hand was still frigid against his skin.

"I'm not going anywhere," Rob said as he ran his free hand through her damp hair. "I'll be right over there." He indicated to the other bed but she didn't let go. Sharp claws dug harder into his skin, and he relented. "Sure, I'll stay here with you for a bit," he whispered and her grip on him relaxed.

Rob lay down on the other side of the bed. As soon as he lay down though, Gardevoir moved to wrap her arms around his middle. Her lithe form shivered slightly against him as she rest her head on his chest.

"What happened?" he asked again, but just as before he received no answer. Before long, Gardevoir's eyes were closed, and her back rose and fell in the gentle rhythm of sleep. Rob put an arm around her and sighed before he too closed his eyes.


	13. Perception

"Did it work?"

"You will live to regret this."

"So you keep telling me."

* * *

A pounding headache woke Gardevoir the next morning. The very room seemed to pulsate with the dull pain. That strange place, Abra, the red door, it couldn't have been a dream. Her thoughts were like smoke in the wind as memories from the night prior returned bit by bit. But as she opened her eyes she smiled. Warmth washed through her body, a relief that eased some of the pain. Rob was there.

His breath was rhythmic and steady as he slept, an arm still holding her close to him. Gardevoir wriggled closer to him and rest her head upon his chest. She could feel the heat from his body pressed flush to hers. The night before had not been anything like she'd hoped. There had been no answers, only more questions, but now she at least felt safe. Maybe she did rely on others too much. No longer though, she would do this on her own if she had to. Gardevoir breathed deep, taking in Rob's scent. But maybe she wouldn't have to.

The fabric of Rob's shirt was course against the hand she trailed over her trainer's shoulder. Unease bubbled up in her stomach as she lay there. Humans were odd creatures at best, and she knew little about them. Her claws extended unconsciously in an attempt to hold on tighter. Rob's breathing changed. When he spoke she could feel his chest vibrate as his body created to words.

Rob's voice was reserved. "Um, good morning, Gardevoir."

She nuzzled her cheek against his shirt. "Morning."

"You're, um, I." Rob cleared his throat. "You're awfully, err, close, this morning."

"Mmm."

"I should probably, you know, get up, or something."

Gardevoir could have lain there all day, but she acquiesced at a light prod on the back. She missed the warmth already as she watched Rob get out of bed. The sinking feeling returned as her trainer moved towards the bathroom without a second glance back. Was it because she was a pokemon? Or maybe it was more than that. Someone that couldn't fend for themselves would only be a burden, and if he thought she was insane or unstable... She couldn't blame him if he did.

It wasn't the right time, not yet. There were things she had to figure out for herself first. Gardevoir glared at the pillow that lay ruffled upon the bed. The rooftop stranger hadn't helped, and she would not wait to see if he'd return. There must be a reason for the power that resided within her. Once she had figured some of it out, then maybe he'd see her as more than a weapon.

* * *

The towering gray structures were beginning to feel somewhat normal by now. Their stay in Goldenrod had been the longest in any one place since he'd started out all those weeks ago. Rob looked back at his small team of pokemon. Only three of them were his technically speaking, but he still had a great fondness for the little blue fighting type Gardevoir had picked up back in the caves.

Overhead, the sky still held a dismal grip over the world below, but it didn't appear like it was going to rain. And while it was a little colder than it had been, it would make good weather for his team to train in. He could already feel the excitement tingle thorough his body at the impending match. Tomorrow he would be facing Goldenrod's best.

Whitney had been described to him as young for her position, but ran a strong lineup despite the common views held of normal types. He'd had quite a lot of success so far with his previous gym matches, and while he wasn't one to get overconfident, he expected this next match to go the same as the others. And if things started to go south, well he had Gardevoir.

Rob glanced over his shoulder at his psychic type. Despite maybe badgering her just a little about it, she had assured him that she was fine. She had refused to give him any information about where she'd been the night before, or what happened, but he did trust her. He just hoped she wouldn't do anything that would put herself in danger; she was strangely impulsive at times.

It was always a mystery with her. One minute she had cuddled up to him, and the next she was distant, almost oblivious to the world around her. Although, thinking of the morning, his face warm ever so slightly. Gardevoir were known to get close to their trainers, but he thought he'd be safe considering her initial view of him. As long as she didn't get too clingy in public though, he'd manage. Rob glanced back again, but Gardevoir's eyes stared as if ignoring the world around her. She had been quiet ever since he showered.

Sunlight was peeking through the clouds by the time the small group had made their way onto Route 35. Rob had one last day to get his team ready, and he wanted this gym fight to go as smooth as possible if he could manage it. An open clearing to the side was roughly the same size as a regulation arena, and it might be good to give them practice in a space where movement could be utilized. When Quilava and Sandshrew sparred, they generally stuck to close quarters. Even Sandshrew tended to favor going on the offensive.

"Alright, you two," Rob said, indicating the two who would be leading in the match tomorrow. "Warm yourselves up real quick and then we'll go start going over some strategies." The pair moved out into the grassy field and squared themselves off like they usually did. They always started the same way, he'd have to mention that to them. Predictability was never good in a fight. "Sorry Riolu, maybe you can knock them around a bit later." The fighting type smiled at his words, if not at him, but it wasn't hostility, so he'd take it. Rob watched as the blue furred pokemon took a seat to watch the others.

"And for you Gardevoir..." Rob turned, but Gardevoir was no longer behind him. She had been there just a second ago. Rob looked around to see her green and white form a little ways away from the group, still with that inward looking gaze on her face. Something was up with her; though, in her current mood, he probably wouldn't get any answers.

With a sigh Rob walked over to her. "You okay?"

Gardevoir's eyes snapped back into focus, and she looked up. "Wha- Yeah I'm fine." Her eyes didn't quite meet his. It was a complete change from how she was acting earlier.

"Are you sure?" Rob asked as he moved closer to place a hand on her shoulder. Had he imagined it, or did she flinch at his touch?

Gardevoir's voice was low and deliberate in his mind. "Yes. I was just thinking." Her posture was stiff, and her eyes avoided his.

"Okay. Well I came to tell you to take it easy. If you have to fight at all tomorrow, I doubt it will be anything to worry about for you." There was a slight glint in her eyes at that, but Rob had no idea what she was thinking behind that guarded expression. "If uh, you want to talk, let me know okay?"

"Sure."

Rob lingered a moment more, hoping for any indication of what might be bothering his pokemon, but it seemed Gardevoir wasn't about to let on. He gave her shoulder a light squeeze but left to return to his other pokemon to prepare. Maybe giving her some space for a bit would help. That's what he was going to tell himself anyway.

* * *

A soft blue and purple glow washed over Gardevoir's pale body as she stared into the swirling disk of psychic energy hovering before her. Everything had changed since she had last done this, yet the swirling patterns brought it all back. Abra, the basement, the constant darkness and futility, all the memories rose to the surface.

It's not that she wanted to remember, but she had to. All of this had started there when she lost control the first time. There had to be something she was missing, and there was no one to help her this time. Relying on others wouldn't help her; it never had. Looking back she could see it. Abra had tried to help her, and he died because of it. Then the mysterious pokemon on the roof, had he even been real? Either way, she saw it now, how foolish she had been. She was an idiot for trusting in him. Had it just been to toy with her, or did he have other motivations?

Then there was Rob. What would happen to him because of her? He wouldn't betray her, never that, not him. She hadn't been lying when she'd told him her life was his, but what if he didn't... If he rejected her, a part of her would die, but she wouldn't let that happen, not without trying. The disk in front of her roiled with intensity, a blue and purple storm whipped up by her turbulent thoughts. She _was _ powerful.

Gardevoir stood, dissipating the disk of energy. Her muscles ached with built up tension. She needed to be doing something. The others might not be able to train with her, but she could still exercise her powers. She had been idle too long. As she relaxed her mind, power filled her. Psychic energy, life itself, coursed through her. The heat and pleasure flowed in her veins and filled her mind. The other power was there too, seductive and infinite. One day. For now, Gardevoir channeled her own power, and began.

* * *

Rob watched as his two pokemon practiced the strategies he'd explained to them. Not that he took their training too seriously, he still wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his future, but they were quick learners anyway and seemed to enjoy the exercise. Riolu sat by a short distance away as well, and though she still didn't seem overly friendly towards him, he had noticed her listening in when he'd been talking with the others. Gardevoir had warmed up to him, and Riolu might too at some point.

With that thought he glanced over at his psychic pokemon, and his breath caught. While the others fought, Gardevoir danced. Psychic energy rippled the air as she moved through it, her white gown swirling in a display of power and grace. Every motion was fluid, leading into the next teleport or attack. An aura of power surrounded her, making the air around her dance in a mirage. Rob shut his mouth with a click. It was beautiful.

His heart raced just watching her. He would always be proud of Quilava and Sandshrew, they were both amazing, but Gardevoir was just so far beyond any of them, himself included. If they headed for the stronger gyms now, maybe even the Elite Four, he bet Gardevoir could take on the best of them. He was selfish perhaps. Gardevoir would be better suited for another trainer, someone who could understand and utilize her potential, that could help her grow stronger, but even the thought of letting her go made him cringe. He could never do it.

Rob realized the others had stopped too and were watching Gardevoir. "Back to it you two, or you can join her," he said, returning his attention to his other pokemon. They both grinned but fell back into their fighting stances, low to the ground and watchful of one another.

Rob felt his face heat slightly. He'd probably been gaping like an idiot. Ever since this morning after waking up... His cheeks colored further at the thought. What the hell was wrong with him? He had a gym match to focus on. It didn't take long for his mind to become occupied by the two pokemon sparring before him. Watching them only bolstered his confidence, and he felt more than prepared to face Whitney, even if he went without Gardevoir. The image of his psychic type whirling about lingered in the corner of his mind though.

Late afternoon sun began to peek through the clouds above, and Rob didn't want his pokemon too tired out. He let out a shrill whistle, and his two pokemon broke away from each other, turning to him. But instead of addressing them, he turned to the small blue pokemon who sat a small distance away from him.

"Hey, Riolu. Why don't you go show them what's what?" He'd gotten an initial glare, but at hearing she could join them, the fighting pokemon leapt to her feet. It was a shame that she didn't seem too impressed by him. Despite her relative inexperience from what he could gather, and Gardevoir still refused to let him in on her story, she would be quite an asset to the team, especially for the type diversity once she evolved. Maybe she'd come around, just as Gardevoir had, and with that thought he turned to his solitary pokemon.

Rob turned away from the other three as Riolu began to work over his already wearied pokemon and headed towards where Gardevoir trained.

"Gardevoir?" he called out from a distance, not wanting to be the unwitting target of a psychic blast. His pokemon let her power disperse as she turned to him. Her chest heaved, and sweat glistened on her white and green skin. A few stray strands of hair were plastered to her face, but the eyes that regarded him were still full of energy. She seemed changed from before she'd started.

"We're going to head back soon, so you can take a break now if you want." Confidence and power still exuded from the feminine form that stood before him. "I watched you a little, you looked amazing." Blazing eyes met his for a moment longer before she dropped her gaze, the majestic air somewhat diminishing. Not the reaction he'd hoped for.

"Well, you did great. I decided to let Riolu have a little fun for a bit; then we can head home, okay?" he asked, hoping to get some response from her.

"Yeah," Gardevoir's voice drifted through his mind, low and emotionless. Rob sighed as he led the way back to the others. She had lowered her defenses for a while around him, but the walls were back up once again. He just wished he knew what was behind the changes. On the other hand, he couldn't help but laugh as he saw the other three. Quilava and Sandshrew had teamed up against the fighting type who seemed to be having way too much fun.

"All right Riolu, I think they've had enough," Rob said with a chuckle as his words were met with a look of dismay and two of relief. Quilava said something he couldn't understand, though the other two laughed. Rob glanced at Gardevoir, but her eyes looked inward, ignorant of the world around her.

The way back to the pokemon center was made in silence, at least for him. Riolu was quite animated, as was Quilava to an extent, though he and Sandshrew were clearly worn out. Of course he couldn't understand any of their conversation, and Gardevoir trailed behind, silent as a ghost. He picked up a meal for all of them at a small place along the way and then continued back to the pokemon center.

Colorful light from the evening sky leaked in through the room's lone window and cast a red-orange glow over everything it touched. Despite doing relatively little, he still felt tired. Of course as soon as he lay down he was sure to be wide awake, the anticipation already began to crawl under his skin. If only he could get the match over with now. His other pokemon probably felt differently though. Quilava and Sandshrew both threw themselves onto the bed not one minute after getting back, and Riolu joined Quilava. Clearly her dislike of him didn't extend to his pokemon.

Gardevoir on the other hand continued to look lost. She stood just inside the room and stared through on of the room's walls.

Rob approached her. "Tired?"

"Hmm?" Gardevoir replied, her focus returning from distant thoughts. "I guess so." Her words trailed off in his mind as if she wasn't even sure.

"The others don't like water, but if you want to take a shower, it might help you relax a little." Rob indicated the bathroom.

Gardevoir's face darkened for a moment, but the voice in his mind was weary. "Shower?"

Rob blinked. "Um, it's like warm rain, I guess. Here," and he lead Gardevoir into the bathroom.

"I still don't get it, what-" She jumped slightly as he turned on the water, and it crashed against the fiberglass walls.

"Just stand in it, you'll get the idea. There are towels over there." He pointed to the small rack on the wall and left, closing the door behind him. She was so oblivious to things sometimes; it was kind of cute."There _is_ something wrong with me," he muttered to himself and lay back on the unoccupied bed.

* * *

Gardevoir pushed the odd metal handle that protruded from the wall and controlled the water. It was an incredible device. With a mere touch she could make the water hot enough to scald her skin or cold enough to send her into shock. As the last of the drops hit her skin, she could see the mist that now hung in the air. She had preferred the water hot.

For a few more minutes she just stood in the white enclosure. Rob had been right; all of the tension had seemed to drain from her body under the constant patter of warmth. Her hair clung to her face as water slowly trickled down her body before falling to the floor with a quiet plunk. The heat had penetrated to her very core, and the warm mist that lingered made moving that much less appealing, but she couldn't stay there all night.

The towels Rob had pointed out were warm and fuzzy. Though awkward to use, the cloth was soon heavy with the water that hadn't evaporated from her skin and hair. The shower had been relaxing, but it also had given her time to think everything over.

The imaginary foes she had spent the day fighting against were just that, pretend. Rob had said she'd done well, and maybe against those imaginary foes she had. She'd certainly felt strong with the psychic energy flowing through her, but when had she actually fought a real enemy, she had failed. Absol, Zoroark, and that creature that stalked her mind. Each of the real enemies she had had defeated her easily.

Of the three, two were beyond her ability to locate, but she knew where one would be. She had thought about it while training, and now she was even more sure of what she had to do. There was something important in that strange dream world. It was more than an ordinary dream, of that she was sure. Tonight she would try to go there, and then she would figure out its purpose. And if she was correct, she would not be alone.

Cold air assaulted her skin as she stepped from the bathroom and into the main room. She almost retreated back to the warmth. Clearly this shower thing was a double edged sword. Despite the early hour, everyone seemed ready to go to sleep. Everyone but Riolu anyway who bounced at the edge of the otherwise unoccupied bed watching the humans and pokemon on the television.

"How was it?" Rob asked from his reclined position on the other bed. His arms were crossed behind his head with Sandshrew curled up at his side.

"It was nice," she replied with a sigh as she sank onto the soft bed next to Riolu. The combination of warmth and the earlier hard exercise weighed on her eyes, and she could feel herself drifting off the second her head rest on the pillow. It hadn't been her intention to go to sleep immediately, but the call of rest was too alluring to ignore. She mumbled something in response to Riolu, but her eyes closed, and peace washed over her tired body.

Gardevoir wasn't sure exactly how it happened. Whether she had entered a dream or projected herself to this place, she wasn't sure. Maybe it was a little of both, but whatever the case may be, she was here. It was the same as before.

"So you figured it out?"

Gardevoir silently cursed herself for letting the twisted creature sneak up on her. "Leave me alone," she growled, composing herself. The pallid interior looked the same, but this time she could see the glow around everything from the start. It was silent, empty save for the two of them. Gardevoir picked her way through the house, careful to pay attention to anything that looked out-of-place.

Abra's voice was filled with satisfaction. "I told you where to look." They were on the second floor now. She had never been here in reality, but it seemed just as real as the rest of the house, complete with furnishing and pictures, pictures her mind could have never fabricated.

"What are you?" Gardevoir asked, turning to the creature that pretended to be Abra. His only response was to grin up at her. "Are you a part of me? This place, it is a part of me is it not?"

"A part of you?" Abra spat and started to laugh. "I am so much more than you could ever be. No, I am not part of you. As for this place, it is, and it is not."

Gardevoir's brow furrowed. "You stalk me through this place, yet you give me nothing but riddles. You pretend to lord knowledge over me while you invade my mind and disguise yourself as-" Gardevoir cut herself off. She didn't have time to waste with that _thing_. Her white gown flared as she spun, but the creature's voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"You know that all psychics know of this place correct? Any psychic pokemon can come here at will, awake or asleep. Not here specifically, as it _is_ partly influenced by you, but a place like this of their own."

Gardevoir glanced at the sadistic grin plastered on Abra's face. "Go on."

Abra advanced. "I took this form because it bothers you. You watched him die, watched as he was crushed between the jaws of a pokemon while you cowered on the ground."

Anger clenched her fists, yet she still couldn't feel any connection to her psychic powers. "I knew you were an imposter, that's no surprise, but what are you?"

Abra's grin widened but he ignored her question. "You remember every detail perfectly, down to how the blood leaked from his mouth as he made one last pathetic plea. But it was the best thing that could have happened to you."

"Either answer my questions, or get out of my head, but don't you dare speak of him like that." She would not cower before whatever that thing was.

Ecstasy, it was the only description for the look on Abra's face. "You should be afraid." The hall began to vibrate, then the entire house.

Gardevoir could feel it, a force that threatened to shake apart her very body. "What are you-" Heat shot through her body. A fire was lit inside her, scouring away everything but Abra's grinning face. She dropped to her knees, panting. "What are you doing to me?"

"You are ignorant. You think I can't hurt you? Here?" He laughed. "I could kill you with a thought. But that would be such a waste. No, I won't hurt you; I won't hurt anyone. You on the other hand..." Abra stepped forward, now at eye level with her. A three-fingered hand brushed her cheek, and the heat increased. Power flooded her body, power beyond her control, though it wasn't like the chaotic power that had taken control of her in the past. This power was guided, but by a hand other than hers.

Then her body split. One part of her was on her knees in the dream hallway, and another was back in the pokemon center. Her dream self shook uncontrollably as Abra's hand stroked her cheek. She tried to fight it, but the new scene stole her attention.

Cool air touched her skin as she removed the blanket from herself. She stood in the silence of the room. Four chests rose and fell in the dark room as she looked over them. Blue light blazed to life in her eyes.

"Wha-What are you doing?" Gardevoir choked out. Her chest heaved as she struggled to pull in breath as the inferno raged in her core.

Abra cupped her chin in a hand, forcing her eyes to meet his. "I'm doing nothing, but you are about to murder your friends."

She had no control over her body, but she felt every movement, every trickle of psychic energy that was manipulated by her mind. Rob. Psychic energy wrapped around his body and lifted him from the bed.

His eyes snapped open in shock, mouth agape. "What the- Gardevoir? What's going-" She slammed him against the wall, forcing a gasp from his lungs and sending him into a fit of coughing. The other began to wake as well.

Red eyes glared at her. "I knew it you bitch." Flames crackled along Quilava's back in a fury she had never seen from the fire type. A jet of flames roared towards her face. Gardevoir didn't even flinch from the intense heat as a barrier popped into existence between the two, easily deflecting any potential harm. It was a futile attempt. Quilava didn't stand a chance against her, not a sliver of hope. She lashed out with her psychic energy and gripped Quilava as she had Rob.

"Stop this, please." Gardevoir begged.

Abra's face was now inches from hers, his breath hot against her face. "You are doing this. You want to kill. Cleanse the world. Return it to dust. Create your own paradise. I know how you look at that human, and you know he doesn't think the same. But he could."

Gardevoir tried to shut her eyes, but her body was no longer hers. Quilava's body was thrown across the room before colliding with the wall in a sickening crunch. He hit with such force that he bounced a few feet before coming to a rest on the ground where he didn't move.

"Gardevoir?" Tears glistened in Riolu's eyes as she rushed to Quilava's side. A shaking paw gingerly touched the still form. The hurt in the baby pokemon's eyes tore at Gardevoir's heart. No, she would never hurt Riolu, never. Her body was no longer under her control though.

"Aren't they your friends?" Abra sneered as his grip tightened on her.

Tears leaked down her cheeks. "Please. I don't care what you do to me. Please stop this." Her hand came to rest on Rob's throat. She could feel his pulse beneath her green hand; feel his throat tighten as he swallowed.

"Gardevoir." His voice was barely a whisper. "Gardevoir listen to me please. This isn't you. Stop. Please Gardevoir." His eyes begged, but her grip tightened. There was no anger, no fear, only a deep sorrow behind those green eyes. Tighter.

"No!" Gardevoir screamed at Abra. Her mind reeled as she tried to make sense of both realities as she was assaulted by the heat devouring her. "Stop. I'll do anything you want, just stop this."

"There is only one place you can find what you're looking for." Abra's hand dropped to her throat. Tiny claws bit into her skin, drawing blood from a series of scratches in her skin. Then he was gone. "No, I can't," Gardevoir called out into the emptiness.

"Then he dies. They all die." The voice echoed through her mind, and then there was silence.

Gardevoir fell forward onto her hands. Tears splashed against the carpet. "Come back!" she shouted, but request was met with silence. That monster did this; he was behind it. She could feel the weave of the carpet beneath her palms, and just as clearly she felt Rob's skin beneath her crushing grip. Blood pounded below his skin, against her fingers, as it tried to force its way past her grasp to keep Rob's body alive. She could see the color-drained house around her at the same time she watched as Rob gazed sadly into her eyes.

Why did that thing want her to open that door so badly, or did it even matter? It didn't. At best, opening the door would kill her. At worst, she'd go insane. Either option was an insignificant price to pay for saving Rob from herself. She had promised. Gardevoir wavered as she rose to her feet, but there was little time. Pain shot through her shoulder as she collided with the walls after stumbling down the stair. She could see it now, the dark red glow that burned an outline around the front door of the house. It sang. Rob's eyes fluttered as the skin of his face darkened further. His mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out.

_I'm sorry._ The metal was cool beneath her touch. She gripped the knob and turned throwing the door open. What lay beyond was incomprehensible, a machine of light. It was infinity laid out before her. A pure light burned her chest. Gardevoir screamed in silence as she was consumed by what lay beyond. Her vision faded, and then there was nothing.

* * *

"Rob!" Gardevoir bolted upright, fighting the blankets that tangled her panicked limbs. It was dark, but shadows moved around her, silhouettes illuminated by the pale light that entered through the window. A light clicked on.

"Gardevoir?" Rob sat up, rubbing his eyes. Iron hands gripped her chest. She tried to breathe, her ears ringing. Four sets of eyes regarded her, and Rob rose. Her body shook uncontrollably, and it was all she could do but stare at Rob as he approached. What was this? Was it real, was anything real?

The door, the shaking, everything from that place. Was this another trick? She could still feel her hands around Rob's throat as he struggled for life, and now he was right before her. Concerned eyes met her own, wide with shock.

Her voice was barely a whisper. "Rob?" A shaking hand reached out to him. Her fingers met his clothed chest. Solid, but then his neck had felt solid when... Gardevoir looked past him, to the other two pokemon. Quilava and Sandshrew were both there, confused looks on their faces. A furred paw on her back caused her to jump.

Riolu's voice was tired but concerned. "Gardevoir are you okay?"

Her legs almost gave out as she stood, but she maintained her balance, backing away from them all. Was this real, or just another trick? How could she even tell? What if this entire thing was a trick? The power she had didn't make sense, and Rob, he wasn't like any other human. An elaborate hoax. The creature who'd stolen Abra's body, it knew so much, but could it have had the power to trap her in her own mind? That would make more sense than...

Gardevoir's back hit the wall. Four sets of eyes watched as she sank to the ground. This – this could all just be some fabrication. Or she could also just be insane. There was no way to be sure.

"Gardevoir what's going on?" Rob crouched before her, but she couldn't meet his eyes.

Her mental voice wavered despite her best efforts. "G-Go back to sleep. It was nothing. I'm sorry for waking you."

Rob's voice was gentle as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you sure? It's seemed like something has been bothering you lately, and now you look terrified." His hand was warm, reassuring. It had to be real. His touch was inviting, her body willing itself to fall into his arms, but she wouldn't let him see her fear, her uncertainty. She took a deep breath.

"We have to be up early tomorrow don't we? You should get back to sleep." Gardevoir almost flinched as Robs withdrew his hand. She wanted to reach out for it, but she stopped herself. Instead she fought her shaking body, desperate to mask the fear that gripped her. She didn't want Rob to see her like this. After a few more moments he returned to his bed.

Gardevoir sat for a long time, trying to work through what had happened in that strange dream. Before tonight she had thought it was somehow a representation of her mind, though what Abra had said indicated there was more to it, and she wanted to believe him. Otherwise, that creature was a part of her. Gardevoir shuddered.

And then there was the door she opened. Her mind ached as she tried to remember it. All she could remember was lights, and a sense of grandeur beyond impossibility. Something beyond words or mortal ideas lay behind those doors, but had opening them released something, or let something in. As her body processed the adrenaline that had filled her veins, she felt her eyes droop, and she soon fell back into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

"Gardevoir, time to get up."

Something shook her gently. Her body tried to ignore it as she clung to the last moments of slumber. It didn't relent though, and she opened her eyes.

"You sleep like the dead," Rob said through a yawn. Dark circles lined his eyes.

"The dead?" Gardevoir asked through a yawn of her own.

"Never mind," Rob said with a dismissive gesture as he turned away. "We have to leave soon though."

Her body felt sluggish as she rose. Sleeping on the floor hadn't been the most comfortable in hindsight, and her back ached slightly. The fog of sleep still ensnared her mind, but it didn't diminish everything that had happened last night, or at least what she thought happened. The other three pokemon looked at her as she moved to the bed and plopped down. She was regarded by Quilava's suspicious stare as well as Riolu's look of concern. She didn't have the energy to care what they thought about her at the moment though.

Riolu moved closer to her on the bed and placed a furry paw on her arm. "Are you okay?"

Gardevoir stretched before answering. "Yeah, just tired."

"You sure? Your aura feels strange," Riolu said as she poked her arm.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. You know you're going to have to stay here for the day," Gardevoir said.

Riolu's face fell. "Yeah I guess so. It's not fair though."

"You can talk to Rob about it, but you know what would have to happen." Gardevoir still wasn't exactly sure what the fighting type thought about the matter, but despite the act, she'd warmed up to Rob considerably.

Riolu was about to respond, but Rob interrupted them. "All set Gardevoir?" The others were looking at them, and Rob looked all prepared to leave.

"Guess so," Gardevoir said as she stood. Every muscle of her body protested her current plan of action and desired nothing but more sleep. There would be time for that later though; she wouldn't show her weakness.

"Sorry Riolu, I'll make it up to you later. If you're hungry feel free to go through my pack; there should be something in there," Rob said as they headed towards the door.

Riolu shot him a quick glare but turned back to Gardevoir. "Be careful."

"I'll see you in a bit," Gardevoir said with a pat on the fighting type's head and followed Rob out the door.

Gardevoir tried not to let her fatigue show as they made their way through the bustling Goldenrod streets. All of the humans that brushed by made her hold her gown close as to not get stepped on as they wound through the mass of people. She didn't particularly like being this close to so many people, but no one even seemed to notice her despite such close proximity.

After having a quick breakfast, Rob began to lead them towards the city's gym. Anticipation began to replace the sleepiness that filled her limbs, and her movements became more fluid, more precise. She could notice it in the others as well. Rob's face was set with determination, and both of his other two pokemon moved with purpose and a dangerous step. They would all fight for Rob.

They entered the large building through the front doors. There were a number of sets of double doors to allow large crowds of people through as quickly as possible, and the interior was spacious enough to accommodate the droves of people who attended. And there were plenty of other humans there to take advantage of the space. Vendors selling everything from food to clothing had spaces where they hawked their items. Through one of the halls that broke off from the curving entryway and lead towards the center of the building, she could see the arena. Hundreds of people could be seen surrounding the battlefield, and there must be even more on the sides she could see.

Rob made the usual arrangements with the gym's humans and soon they were lead to wait in a small room for Rob's name to be called. Her skin prickled with nerves. It wasn't the fight she was nervous about, but the number of humans that would be watching.

"Well, you guys ready?" Rob asked as he fidgeted slightly in the chair he occupied. Quilava nodded with a grin. He seemed to love the attention he got from these matches, clearly not bothered by all the eyes. She and Sandshrew gave their assent a little more soberly.

"Good. Don't underestimate them, but I think we should do just fine." Rob stood from where he sat and began to walk around the room. "Gardevoir, if it comes to it, try not and use that new move I thought you. The pokemon we'll be facing shouldn't give you any problem, and a move with type advantage may be a tad overkill."

"Sure." She knew why he had given her that skill. There would only be two pokemon on the receiving end of that attack, if she even crossed paths with those monsters again. A door opened opposite where they entered, and the human judge entered.

"Everything's all set. You're up," the man said with a gesture to the field beyond. "Not returning your pokemon?"

"Nope," Rob said and headed towards the door. The three of them followed.

"Suit yourself, good luck," the judge said and moved to take his spot on the side of the field as Rob took his at the challenger's side. The noise in front of all those people was deafening. Lights illuminated the plain field, various colors playing across her skin and the field before her. The air was warm, and her heart began to beat faster. She wouldn't be fighting unless the other two fell, but the urge to prove herself in front of Rob grew nonetheless.

An amplified voice boomed over the noise of the crowd. "Ladies and Gentleman let's welcome the next challenger hailing from right next door. Give it up for Rob of Azalea Town." Cheers and whistles crashed in a wave over them at the announcer's request. She noticed a small smile on Rob's face, and the air around Quilava was already beginning to shimmer from the fire type's heating body.

"Today he'll be taking on Goldenrod's beloved leader Whitney," the disembodied voice echoed throughout the arena. "But this won't be your average trainer battle, we've got something special for you tonight. Rob may not be a name you're familiar with yet, but he's already making waves amongst the gym leader's."

Her trainer looked up at that. "What?"

"So far undefeated, he and his team of three have already impressed previous gym leaders, so keep an eye out for this one, but I'm sure he'll prove to you all here and now. And there she is, entering the arena now is our very own Whitney!" The announcer's voice was drowned out by the cheers that rose for the young woman who walked through the doors at the opposite end of the field.

Whitney strode out with a smile and a wave to the roaring crowd. Rob motioned for them to wait here and the two trainers met in the center of the field. Gardevoir couldn't hear what they were saying so she reached out to eavesdrop with her psychic powers, and as soon as she tried she was shocked. No more were her surroundings muddled and indistinct. Differentiating between human and pokemon had been triumph enough, but now she could feel everything.

She felt Rob, and his unique psychic presence, unique from every other human in the building. She could tell them all apart despite not even actually seeing them before now. Even the pokemon that were present had not only a distinct sense based on species, but each had their own signature as an individual. It was incredible. The revelation almost made her forget her original purpose.

"I had the announcer talk you up a little, but only just. I must say, it's not too often gym leaders send word ahead. You must be pretty good." The young woman said. Their voices weren't as clear as if she were hearing them directly, but it was good enough.

"I uh, well," Rob stammered as he stared at the gym leader with an overwhelmed expression.

"Haha don't worry, it was mostly that Gardevoir of yours there we're all interested in. It's hard to impress Falkner, and even Bugsy said he wanted to see what she could do. He's a little too 'by-the-books', but I switched my lineup, because I want to see what the hype is about. Just a little warning. Now, they're waiting for a good match, don't disappoint," the woman said with a wink and turned her back to Rob. Rob stared at her for a moment longer before collecting himself and returning to the challenger's box.

"Alright guys," Rob said with his brow furrowed. "This is it, just like I instructed yesterday. We should do well regardless, but just keep your eyes open. She's planning something." He gave Sandshrew a quick pat on the head, and then the ground type was walking out onto the field. Whitney released her own pokemon with a flourishing toss of a pokeball. A Clefairy appeared in a red flash, and the two squared off.

"Begin," the referee shouted and the humans surrounding them in the stands let out a cheer. The atmosphere was getting disorienting for her, and the sooner this was over the better. She already missed the quiet of the pokemon center, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

On the field, Sandshrew wasted no time from when the judge began the match, and dug into the arena floor before his opponent could make a move.

"Mimic!" The voice was barely heard over the din of the crowd, but Clefairy glowed with a pale light before boring into the earth after Sandshrew. A hush fell over the crowd as neither pokemon was visible. Stillness hung over the battlefield, and then a small mound rose. Sandshrew poked his head above ground, peering around for his enemy. The ground erupted and two pokemon rocketed into the air. Clefairy carried Sandshrew upwards after slamming into him, and threw the stunned ground type to the floor before landing adroitly nearby. Sandshrew rolled after hitting the ground and was back on his feet in a flash. He didn't look happy about being tricked.

The noise had grown again at the turn of events, and now it seemed to be holding its collective breath as they waited for the pokemon to make their next move. Sandshrew jumped. As he moved through the air towards the waiting Clefairy, he began to spin. In response, the normal type braced itself, ready to strike. Rapid spin met a double slap, but Clefairy's hands were thrown away from Sandshrew's spinning body, and the two met.

Clefairy was thrown to the ground as Sandshrew bounced off its face. The ground type didn't give his opponent any chance to recover and began to attack the Clefairy with its small yet sharp claws. Cheers erupted from the humans surrounding the arena, and Gardevoir only just realized that the amplified announcer was calling out what was happening on the field. She had gotten too caught up in the fight to notice prior.

Back on the field, the two pokemon had disengaged. Sandshrew had been thrown off by a double slap of his opponent's, but the Clefairy didn't look like it had much left in it. Scratches covered the pink pokemon's body, and it panted as the two faced off once again. The pair acted at the same moment. Clefairy raised its arms and waved them back and forth as they began to glow. Sandshrew curled up and began to spin once again. Gardevoir flinched as the black and purple jet of energy lanced from Clefairy's body.

Metronome was a desperation move, but it may have worked. The dark pulse slammed into Sandshrew mid rollout. Energy crackled like black lightning as the attack struck, yet Sandshrew didn't stop. Again the pair crashed into one another, and this time the victor was clear. Sandshrew was atop Clefairy and raked the pokemon over with his claws. The normal type struggled for a moment but was unable to continue, and Whitney was forced to signal it to return.

"There you have it. Round one goes to our challenger," the announcer called over the deafening cheers. "And what's this?" Gardevoir's eyes were pulled back to the arena where Sandshrew was engulfed in a brilliant white light. It was bright enough to force her to raise a hand against the light, and a few seconds later the light expanded and dimmed to reveal a Sandslash.

"Well would you look at that, yet another surprise for our challenger," the booming voice called out among the whistles and shouts. Rob's face held a smile. Gardevoir's did too as she remembered the feeling of her own evolution.

Whitney's words were lost amongst the noise that filled the arena, but they sounded congratulatory from what Gardevoir was able to pick out. The words were also accompanied by a red flash, and a Miltank.

Sandshrew was breathing hard from his previous fight, but stood his ground against this new opponent. Blade-like claws flexed as he tested his new body. Each of the trainers nodded to the referee, and the match resumed.

Once again the gym leader's words were lost upon the shouts of the crowd, but they must have signified something as the spectators were now chanting.

"Rollout! Rollout! Rollout!" Over and over they called. Whitney must use a similar strategy often, because as she looked back to the field, the Miltank was curling up, ready to perform the move being chanted. In response to the pokemon that barreled towards him, Sandslash jumped and curled up as well, performing another rapid spin attack, but this time his body was covered in blades.

The two connected, and despite a few scratches, the large normal type came out unscathed. Sandslash on the other hand was thrown by the massive pokemon, and he rolled to a stop a short distance away. Miltank only paused to reposition though, and once again used rollout. The match was beginning to take its toll on Rob's pokemon, and while he managed to use his next attack in time to prevent getting crushed, he was slowing. Rob signaled the referee.

The announcer's voice cut through the noise. "The challenger has signaled for his pokemon to return prior to being knocked out! A bold move. He may regret it, but let's see what he's planning."

"Keep your distance like you practiced," Rob told Quilava as Sandslash slowly made his way back, panting. Quilava nodded and took the field. With a nod from each trainer, the match resumed.

"Congratulations," Gardevoir sent telepathically. She received a smile and a nod, and the exhausted pokemon sat down to watch the fight he had started.

"Great job," Rob said as well, but his attention was already back on the match. Miltank was already bearing down on Quilava, but the fire type was spacing his bulky opponent well. Each pass of rollout brought the two within inches of each other, but Quilava was able to stay out of the way while shooting out jets of flames. It was a slow strategy, but effective. Flames scorched the large cow's spinning body each time, and each successive rollout was losing power, not gaining. Quilava was winning.

The crowd saw the inevitability of the fight as well. The chanting had stopped, and a hush was beginning to fall over them as the tension grew. This fight would be concluded soon, but the exceptional match promised by the announcer was still ahead. They were waiting for the partly unknown match-up that lay ahead. They were waiting for her.

"Whitney's second pokemon has fallen!" the announcer called at a signal from the gym leader. "Now prepare yourselves for the final showdown between our challenger Rob's strongest pokemon against one of Whitney's best!"

The woman smiled from across the arena, and released her final pokemon. An enormous Tauros materialized from the leader's final pokeball. Three tails swished behind the pokemon as it stamped its hooves on the arena floor. After only a moment's hesitation, Rob signaled for Quilava to return.

Her trainer's face darkened as Quilava returned. "Sorry buddy, I know you have more in you but she wasn't kidding. That doesn't look like a pokemon she uses in gym battles," and he turned to her. "Be careful," Rob said. "That one looks strong."

Gardevoir nodded in response. She could feel it to. This pokemon was much stronger than the others used by the gym leader. As she stepped out onto the field she could feel the entire arena focus on her, the thousands of human eyes, as well as those of the Tauros and its trainer. Heat from the lights above shone on her, drawing a light sheen of sweat to her skin. The noise seemed to lower, replaced by the pounding of blood in her ears. If the only thing she was useful for was to destroy, then so be it. No matter how much she hated herself for it, nothing would change what she was, so she would fight for Rob, and prove to him she was useful for something.

On the judge's call to start the match, the giant pokemon charged. For such a large creature, it was incredibly fast. Gardevoir didn't even have time to charge an attack before the beast was upon her, and she was forced to teleport or be trampled.

A ripple of psychic energy brought her to the opposite side of the field. Her back was to the gym leader, and she stood looking at the Tauros, backed by her own trainer. It was quick, but it wouldn't be able to change directions quickly once at full speed. As she predicted, the pokemon charged once again. This fight would be all about timing. Gardevoir waited, and once again teleported to avoid the charge and readied herself.

Psychic energy began to pool in her hand as she waited for the beast to make its next pass. The Tauros' tails lashed out in a frenzy, the pokemon clearly angered from being baited by her teleports. On the other hand, the pokemon didn't look wearied by being run around either. If anything it looked even more ready to fight. Tauros charged.

Everything was in motion. The Tauros wouldn't be able to change directions fast enough, and she should be able to take her opponent down with one blow. She just needed the opening to do it. Gardevoir waited until the pokemon was almost to her, and then shifted, teleporting just to the side of where the beast would pass. Her attack was fully charged, and the direct contact would amplify its effectiveness. Gardevoir turned just in time to see three tails, glowing with a blinding light, slam into her. The arena spun in a sickening lurch as she was thrown to the ground. Pain blurred her vision, and the impact with the ground jolted her.

Rob's shout was muffled in her ringing ears. "Gardevoir!"

She looked up. A shadow loomed over her. The pokemon looked even bigger from the ground. It rose above her, ready to bring down its hooves in a final blow. Instinct took over.

"You can't run forever."

Gardevoir looked around to see who had spoken. The gym leader stood behind her, a smile on her lips. She had teleported to the opposite side of the arena again. Time seemed to slow down as the adrenaline flooded her body, heightening her senses. Her left arm felt like it had been torn off, and her chest felt like it had taken the full force of the beast's charge.

"I know," Gardevoir said to the human and turned to face the beast once again. Anger burned behind her eyes. She couldn't keep running. This would be it. Pain threatened to drag her under, but she fought it. She would win. For Rob.

Tauros charged, head down, dust rising from where its great hooves kicked the ground. Two balls of psychic energy charged in Gardevoir's fists. If her aim was off, even just slightly, she would take the pokemon's horned charge right to the chest. She wouldn't miss.

Gardevoir watched the rise and fall of the pokemon's shoulders, tracking its powerful movement across the battlefield. She stepped forward.

"Careful," the gym leader shouted to her pokemon from behind, but it was already too late. Gardevoir loosed. A psybeam from each hand launched towards her opponent. Neither were powerful, barely enough to scratch the charging pokemon, but her aim was true. Just as Tauros came down on his front legs, her shots connected. Tauros had no time to compensate as the attacks knocked its legs out from under it, and it crashed into the floor.

Gardevoir held nothing back this time. The momentum from the charge carried her opponent forward, right to her feet. The pokemon slid into her, and as her hands met the smooth fur of its head, she released all of the psychic energy left in her into the mind of the pokemon. The impact, even lessened as it was, still sent Gardevoir reeling, but it was done. Tauros didn't rise.


	14. Challengers

Gardevoir panted as she examined the foe at her feet. Noise flooded the arena, but she didn't really hear it, her attention was on Tauros. A pang of fear shot through her system. Caught up in the moment as she'd been, she had released her attack at almost full power. A quick check with her psychic powers showed that Tauros still lived though, and she breathed easier, but only just. Pain still burned from her arm and chest where she'd taken the hit.

"Not too bad," a woman's voice came from behind her. "You're definitely powerful. Inexperienced, and you could use a little straightening out here and there, but not bad at all. Get you a proper trainer and you'd be a star pokemon."

Gardevoir turned to shoot the gym leader a glare, but the woman only smiled at her. Tauros was returned in a flash of red, and Rob soon joined them.

"Congratulations on your victory, you have quite the pokemon there." Whitney said as Rob walked up.

"You okay?" Rob asked as soon as he was close enough that the cheers wouldn't drown out his voice. Gardevoir winced as she looked down at the marks on her body but nodded. After seeing she'd be alright, Rob turned to speak with the gym leader. "Thanks, it was an interesting match to say the least.

Whitney looked nonplussed at being ignored, but the woman's smile returned in a flash. "I'm glad you thought so, and from the fact we have to yell at each other, I'm guess they thought so too." The gym leader gestured to the crowd around them, still cheering and chanting.

"I guess so," Rob said in wonder as he looked around. Gardevoir hadn't realized it at first but it was Rob's name they were chanting.

Whitney held out her hand. "Well you've earned this. As reluctant as I am to give these away, I'd say you earned it a little more than most."

Rob took the small metal badge with a grin. "Thanks."

"Oh," Whitney said and reached into her pocket. "Here's for your Gardevoir." She tossed a small item to Rob who caught it from the air. "She seems to like you for some reason."

Gardevoir looked down to see what was in his hands. It looked like a potion from what she'd seen of the items humans used.

"Wait, I can't-" Rob said looking up, but the gym leader had already turned away and was walking back towards the doors she came through. "Whitney!" Rob shouted but the woman only waved over her shoulder, not even bothering to turn around. Rob stared at the item for another second before motioning back to his side of the field.

Rob collected his other two pokemon, and the four of them entered the room they'd been waiting in before the match. With the excitement dying down, her wounds became more noticeable. She let out a quiet gasp as she tried to move her arm. A thin line of blood traced her skin from where the skin had split, and it felt like the bone itself might be broken. Not that she'd ever broken a bone, but the pain was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rob asked as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"I'll live," she said with clenched teeth. "What was that thing Whitney gave you?"

Rob was still playing with the item in his hand. "It's a healing potion, though this is an incredibly expensive one, not something that's just given away." He examined it with a dubious look. "I don't even know what this would be worth, more than I could afford though."

"You can sell it. I don't need it. I'll heal on my own in a few days." She closed her eyes briefly, trying to accept the pain. It would lessen soon. Probably.

Rob chuckled. "I don't think selling this is even legal. Not for me anyway, and I don't have the equipment to keep it fresh," he said and stood. "Besides, you look like you're hurt." Rob sat down beside her. "This is going to feel uncomfortable for a minute, but you'll feel better in a moment okay?" A gentle hand rest on her uninjured arm. Gardevoir nodded.

The liquid felt thick as it entered her arm, and once Rob pulled the device away, it began to burn. She could feel it within her as her blood spread it through her body. The heat increased until it coursed like molten metal.

"I don't like this," Gardevoir whimpered.

Rob stroked her hair. "It will only take a minute." Her body felt like it was melting and being remade from the inside out. She gasped for breath as her chest turned to liquid fire and reformed as ice. Her arm was hollowed out and replaced by the flames. And as soon as it had started, the heat was gone.

Gardevoir panted but tested her arm. The pain was mostly gone, and what she had thought broken was now a day old bruise.

"Better?" Rob asked as his hand continued to run through her green hair. She fell against his side for a moment and nodded. A brief smile played across her lips as she caught her breath against the warmth of her trainer.

Rob let them all rest for a few more minutes, but they had accomplished what they'd come here for, and there was little reason to linger here. Gardevoir got to her feet after Rob, and they headed towards the door. Bodies packed the entrance to the gym. A large number of spectators must have moved down from the arena and were now wandering about. Rob pushed through the crowd ahead and Gardevoir clung to his back. She did not want to get separated in the sea of people.

"Hey, you're Rob right? The one who just fought?"

Gardevoir turned to see a human about Rob's age approach them through the crowd. A number of heads also turned at the man's words. As others recognized them, their progress was halted, and a circle of onlookers formed.

Gardevoir put her back to Rob's in the center of the ring of humans. "Are they attacking?" she asked telepathically.

Rob laughed behind her. "No," he whispered, his face close to her ear. "They saw the match, and are probably impressed by you." A hand patted her on the shoulder, though she still kept watch over the humans around her.

"Where'd you get such a strong pokemon?"

"Is your Gardevoir for trade?"

"Hey are you accepting challenges?"

"Great job in the fight; you were really something."

The humans all tried to talk at the same time, their voices a miniature version of the incoherent cacophony that had filled the stadium.

Rob seemed only slightly less disoriented than she. "Hah, thanks, it was a good fight, but no I'm not accepting battles right now, and I really should get going to rest my pokemon. They fought hard."

The people seemed to care little about what Rob wanted to do, and the questions continued. "Did you buy the pokemon that strong?" Gardevoir fidgeted with her hands as she glanced around at the humans. Many seemed interested in her, and this close she could feel their eyes on her. In the arena it had been many more, but they were all an indistinct blur in the background. Here she could see them, feel them. Some looked at her with the same look she'd received from the humans who attended Wes' tournaments, other watched with kindness similar to what Rob had shown her. But none of them were Rob; she just wanted to leave.

"No, she isn't for trade, and I didn't buy her. I found her injured and brought her to a pokemon center," Rob said, addressing someone she hadn't seen talk.

A woman from the circle moved forward. "Oh, that's such a sweet story." Gardevoir spun to watch as the woman moved closer and took a slight step back.

"She was so graceful during the fight. Well, for most of it," the human said to her with a wink. The woman was young, probably close to Rob's age, with black hair that flowed down her back. Kind brown eyes regarded her as the human looked her over with a smile.

"She is quite the fighter," Rob said. Gardevoir jumped as Rob pat her on the shoulder, but she didn't take her eyes off the new woman. Some of the crowd started to disperse, but the woman lingered.

The young woman turned to Rob. "I'm Elise, by the way. Would you like to grab lunch?"

Rob's eyebrows rose. "I uh, well I'd like to, but I really have to head back to the pokemon center, and my team deserves a reward for their efforts," he said.

"Aww, that's a shame. I'd love to hear about how you saved such an amazing pokemon." The woman took a small step closer.

"Well, I guess if you wanted to meet a little later, and if you don't mind my team eating with us," Rob said.

The woman's broke into a wide grin. "That would be great. Where would you like to go?"

"I'm not really from around here. Do you have any recommendations?" Rob and the woman spoke for another minute or two, and then she too melted away into the crowd. Rob stared down at a slip of paper for a minute, lost in thought.

"Rob?" Gardevoir asked as she poked him in the back. While not the center of attention anymore, she would still rather be outside and away from the crowd.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, let's go," he said and pocketed the paper. Gardevoir and the others followed as Rob pushed through the crowd and eventually out onto the street. Even the heavy city air felt cool against her skin compared to the cramped heat of the gym.

"What did all those people want?" Gardevoir asked as they made their way through the streets towards the pokemon center.

"People who do well in the pokemon league can get famous if they're really good. In the lower levels like this, winning isn't such a big deal, but the way we, or you really, won was pretty spectacular. They were just impressed, I guess, and wanted to check us out," Rob said. She would never understand humans. The group made their way back to the pokemon center in silence where Riolu had waited for their return.

"Did you win?" Riolu asked as she jumped from the bed.

"Of course," Quilava replied, puffing out his chest a little, and Riolu snickered at her friend. Gardevoir followed the others into the room and fell onto the bed. Lying down sent waves of happiness through her body. Whatever that potion had done to her, it had used much of her body's energy. She closed her eyes for a moment, and enjoyed the peace and calm. Her ears still rang from the noise of the crowd.

"Gardevoir, you feeling okay?" Rob was looking down at her, and Riolu was peering over the edge of the bed.

"Just tired," she said. "That potion was- I didn't like it." Her chest and arm still throbbed where she had been struck. Given the alternative though she really couldn't complain.

"Do you want to come get food with us, or are you just going to stay here? It's fine if you want to stay; I know I asked a lot of you already. You deserve a break." Rob ran a hand through her hair.

Gardevoir smiled at his touch. "No, I'll come." Besides, that girl would be there, and she didn't trust the woman; she didn't trust any of those other humans.

Once again the group wound their way through the mass of people who occupied Goldenrod, though this time Riolu accompanied them. Gardevoir only half listened as Quilava recounted their battle for the fighting type, but her mind found other things to worry about. Mainly, did Rob want to be famous? It was selfish, but she didn't want Rob to change, and she didn't like even the small crowd that had surrounded them after the battle. She wasn't given time to dwell on it though, as the place they were to meet the other human didn't take long to find.

"Glad you could make it," the dark-haired girl from the gym said as they approached.

Rob returned her smile. "Yeah. I have to say this is a bit weird; I never thought my matches would draw a crowd."

"Who said this had anything to do with a pokemon match," the woman said, and flashed a smile as she walked into the restaurant. Gardevoir glared at the girl's back but followed behind the others.

The inside of the building was busy but not crowded. Dimmed lights gave a low illumination despite the remaining sunlight outside, a commonality of these places. Patrons had plenty of space, and some even had pokemon with them as well. A young human seated them by a window and went to fetch their drinks. Gardevoir didn't particularly like eating at these human places, but the food was always good enough to offset the discomfort she felt. This Elise though, Gardevoir didn't like her.

The girl sat across from Rob and leaned just over the table to talk with Rob. Riolu and Quilava sat between her and Rob, and Sandslash was at Rob's other side on the bench-like seat. As soon as the two humans had sat down though, it was as if Rob was a different person. The pair talked and laughed as they exchanged stories about their homes and their times at school, or in Rob's case, the academy. Gardevoir heard more about Rob by listening to the two talk in ten minutes than in her entire time with him.

Rob sighed as he leaned back in his seat. "Man, it's been forever since I've talked with another person about anything other than pokemon. I've been going nonstop since I started. Thanks for dragging me out for this."

"Why don't you take a break for a while, loosen up a bit. After that match today you've more than earned it," Elise said. The waiter came back with their food and began placing it on the table before each of them. Gardevoir barely glanced at hers as the steam warmed her face. She had just pointed to something at random when asked what she wanted. Her appetite was gone anyway.

"Gardevoir?" Riolu asked from her side. "You okay?"

She glanced down at the fighting type and then back to the human woman. "Fine," she muttered telepathically, "just tired." Gardevoir picked up her fork and pushed the food around her plate until Riolu turned her attention back to her own food and her conversation with Quilava. _Talked to another person._ She gripped her fork like a vice.

Elise laughed at something Rob had said, her hand brushing against his. "Hey, well if you're that dead set on leaving so soon, why don't you spend at least one night doing something for yourself. I was planning on going out tonight with a few friends, why don't you come join us, have a few drinks?"

Rob shrugged. "I don't know. I was planning on just getting a good rest with my team before we leave."

"Oh come on, they'll forgive you one night. Besides, don't you think they might want a break too every once in a while," Elise said as she leaned closer over the table. Gardevoir's hand trembled she was gripping the fork so hard. It was against the rules to attack others, that's what Rob had said, so how did humans fight one another?

A paw touched her side. Gardevoir swung her glare from the human girl to her side, and softened her expression when she saw the concern in Riolu's eyes.

"You feel scary," the fighting type whispered. Gardevoir released the fork, and a light wisp of psychic energy discharged from her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath in a struggle to regain control of her mind.

"Sorry," Gardevoir replied after a moment, her voice cold in an attempt to hide the fury that stormed within her. She forgot Riolu could also sense emotions. This was stupid. Rob wouldn't just choose a mate at the drop of the hat. No, he wouldn't fall for the girl; they were just friends. She was being stupid, but a voice within her couldn't let herself let it go. _He's a human._

Rob acquiesced with a sigh. "Oh I guess. One night, but I can't stay out too late," he said with a laugh.

Elise's delighted laugh made Gardevoir hate the girl that much more. "Great, I know a great place downtown. You'll enjoy it; I promise," she said with a wink. Gardevoir barely noticed the rest of the meal. She sat, ears buzzing, trying to keep herself in check. Psychic types didn't give in to emotion, it lessened their effectiveness. Calm, calculating thoughts allowed her full control over her mental powers. Repeating the words didn't make it any easier.

Rob's voice snapped her out of her rumination. "Did you not like it?"

"Not hungry," she muttered, not taking her eyes from the food of which she'd only taken a bite or two. She didn't even remember what it had tasted like. The waiter she hadn't noticed grabbed her plate along with the others' and handed their food to Rob in little white containers. Rob was already back to talking with Elise.

"Well thanks for lunch, it was fun," the girl said as they all rose.

"My pleasure, and thanks for joining me. See you tonight?" Rob asked as they moved towards the door.

The girl handed Rob another slip of paper once they were outside. "See you tonight." The girl ran a hand along Rob's shoulder and walked away, melting into the city crowd. Rob stared after her for a moment before leading them back to the pokemon center with an airy, care free stride. Gardevoir trailed behind the others.

Once back in their small room, everyone seemed to show their exhaustion at once. Gardevoir felt entirely drained herself. Between fighting and Whitney's potion, her body felt like it was moving through sand. And then that human girl had shown up, engaging her in a completely different fight, one Gardevoir didn't even know the rules of. She wanted to just curl up in a corner and wither away, but she wouldn't let that human beat her so easily.

"If you're tired, you should lie down, take the rest of the night off," Rob said. He was smiling, but she could see the concern in the corners of his eyes.

Gardevoir realized she was still standing in the hallway. "What are drinks?"

"Hmm?"

"You said you'd have drinks with that girl." She didn't quite meet Rob's eyes as she asked.

"Oh," Rob said with a slight chuckle. "We're just going to hang out for a bit. It's just something humans do for fun."

"Could- Could we get drinks?" Her hands fidgeted at the sides of her white gown.

Rob raised an eyebrow. "You want to go to a bar?" Gardevoir glanced up to judge his reaction. The mirth on his face was poorly hidden.

"I have a feeling you probably wouldn't like it," Rob said as he walked closer to put a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, we get plenty of down time while on the road. You can always talk to me then or whenever really. I'm not going anywhere." His hand pushed her gently, leading her towards the bed.

"I'd like it," she protested as her feet followed Rob's guiding hand.

His low laugh was right by her ear. "I doubt it. They taste bad and just end up making you stupid."

Gardevoir's body melted against the warm invitation of the bed. "You said it was fun."

"Humans often find being stupid fun. Now get some rest." Rob's hand ran through her hair as her eyelids drew shut.

* * *

It was dim when Gardevoir woke. A dull aches remained in her muscles, but the rest had somewhat refreshed her. Riolu was with Quilava on the other bed, the two of them close and talking quietly in the soft light. Rob and Sandslash were nowhere to be seen. A jolt ran through her as she noticed she wasn't alone in bed.

"Hello Gardevoir."

She gaped, her throat dry as she stared through the incorporeal form of Abra. _No, this couldn't be real._ Her eyes darted around the room again, but despite the dim lighting, the colors weren't off, and the others were here.

"Oh I'm quite real," he said, his grinning face moving closer to hers. Gardevoir scooted away from the apparition. A transparent hand reached for her face, and Gardevoir flinched away from it. She squeezed her eyes shut, and she felt nothing. "Well, real enough anyways."

Gardevoir opened her eyes. She trembled below the covers as she stared at the impossible figure looming over her. _Was it the same one that tormented her in her sleep?_

"You don't even recognize me, after all the time we've spent together?" The being sat down on the bed next to her, but its eyes never left hers. _Could it read her mind?_

"Of course I can, you surrendered your mortal shell to me. You are nothing more than a placeholder now. You are mine."

_You're not real, I'm just talking to myself,_ Gardevoir thought as her mind raced. This didn't make sense. She couldn't feel anything there with her psychic powers, and the thing couldn't physically touch her, yet she could hear its voice clear in her mind.

"Do you remember the last time you asked me to prove myself?" Abra's eyes picked up a dangerous glint. "Is my power still too hard for that simple mind to understand?" Her arm rose on its own, and psychic power coursed through her body. "Your little friend over there, she's weak to your powers isn't she?"

Gardevoir's eyes widened, adrenaline flooding her body in tandem with the psychic energy. Power began to collect in her palm. _Stop, what are you doing?_ She tried to release the power, tried to control her own arm, but she was just a passenger in her own body.

Abra stood again, standing over her as his eyes captivated hers. "How much would it take to kill her? You could do it you know." Power surged in her palm, more power than she ever dared use in a real fight.

"You can feel it too can't you? This would be more than enough to end that tiny thing. Such a sad past too. It would be a mercy to just end it for her." The power continued to grow as the air around her arm began to distort. "Return her to the infinity; let her escape this corrupt world she's had to endure. Bring her back once you have fixed everything, and returned this place to the paradise the Creator envisioned. You can do this, must do this. For her, for yourself."

The words echoed through her mind. They erased thought and reason, a directive from the Creator himself. _No no no no. I'll do anything you want._ Small words fought back from the corner of her mind. Her eyes tried to focus back on reality, and the power dissipated from her arm.

Abra laughed. "That creature owes you her life, but now you owe me. One life, but this isn't the reason I came to visit. I care for you Gardevoir; I don't want to see you hurt." Abra's face twisted in a mockery of compassion.

_Then you would leave,_ she snarled in her mind.

Abra looked hurt. "You can't hide anything from me. I know what lies in your mind. Right now Rob is off with some human girl he met this morning. While you've shown him time and again how you feel, he doesn't even look at you. Now he's chosen a mate he met just hours ago."

_No._ Her stomach burned at his words though. _No, he's just having drinks._

"Do you even know what that means? He brushed your questions aside like he always does and changed the subject. You're just another convenience for him to use and discard on a whim."

Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. _He wouldn't do that, he's kind; he's different from the other humans._ Her thoughts sounded pathetic even to her, and she knew that what Abra said was true.

"Again your thoughts betray you." Abra moved as if to comfort her, his hands pretending to smooth her hair as Rob had. Phantom limbs passed through her body. "Release yourself from his spell. You deserve to be happy, were given the power to be happy, so don't be a slave to a human who treats you with such little respect."

_If you can control me, then why don't you just do it yourself?_ Abra smiled and then vanished. She touched her face where Abra's hand had been, her fingers trembling against her pale skin. Gardevoir ripped the sheets from herself and stood. Tears blurred her vision as she navigated the small room.

"Oh, Gardevoir, I didn't realize you were awake-" Riolu said, but Gardevoir ignored the fighting type and head to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. She fell against the wall, bracing herself with on hand as she struggled for breath. What had she done? Her hand fumbled on the metal piece sticking from the wall to make the water fall. The metal construction hissed and water began to pour from the device.

Gardevoir waited for the water to warm like she had before, and then stepped in. Steam began to fill the air, and the water scalded her skin. She let out a small cry and threw a barrier up to protect herself from the burning water as she scrambled to fix the handle. She wanted to scream, to rip the metal pipes from the walls and bring the entire building down around her. Frustration burned in her muscles, but she held it in. Once the water cooled to a tolerable temperature, she let the barrier down and slumped against the smooth wall as her chest heaved with quiet sobs.

What was she? That door, she hadn't known what it was for. She was tricked into opening it, and now it seemed she was nothing but a toy for that sadistic being that stalked her mind, and now her reality. When it had taken control of her, she'd felt nothing, but it had been able to fully control her body and her powers. She was helpless against it, and what if it decided to take things into its own hands. If it got bored with tormenting her, would it kill Riolu, or Rob?

She may have doomed them all; she should run while she could, but then again that decision might not even be hers anymore. Water ran down her body as she slumped to the floor. Warmth suffused her as droplets splashed against her skin. It never stopped. The water continued to fall, constant and warm for however long she sat there. Long enough to cry herself out, and long enough for the room to fill with a haze of steam.

Eventually she turned the water off. She dried herself with a towel and moved to the large mirror that adorned the wall. Water had condensed on the surface, and she used a hand to reveal a streaky image of herself. Red eyes stared back at her, green hair clinging to her damp skin. She looked nothing like the human girl Rob was with. No dark, flowing hair, no knowledge of human things. She couldn't even read the words on the small bottles that covered the counter-top. Her skin was paler than the sickliest human. A monster masquerading like she thought she was a person.

Outside the bathroom, someone must have turned off the lights while she showered, and Gardevoir felt her way through the darkened room. She climbed into bed and pulled the blankets back around her. Her mind roiled with anger, frustration, and hatred. If she knew a way to end it all, she would. Rob still wasn't back.

Riolu's voice was a whisper in the still room. "Gardevoir?" She didn't respond though; she just wanted to be alone. No other sound broke the silence, and eventually sleep took a hold of Gardevoir once more.

* * *

A clumsy noise woke Gardevoir. She opened her eyes just enough to see the first rays of sunlight peeking through the room's window, and with her psychic powers, she could detect Rob just getting back. His footsteps were padded by the carpet, and after a brief pause she felt the mattress shift beneath her.

Gardevoir peeked to see that Riolu and Quilava had sprawled out across the other bed. After a few minutes though, Rob got up again with a groan and headed for the bathroom. The sound of running water soon followed. The others began to wake as well at the sound of Rob's arrival. Riolu yawned and nuzzled against Quilava. She also noticed Sandslash for the first time, who had curled up in the corner of the room.

"Why are you on the floor?" she asked as the ground type stretched.

He grinned up at her. "I'm too pointy now. I shredded one of the blankets by accident so I figured I'd just sleep somewhere I wouldn't destroy everything, doesn't bother me." He flexed the blades that now covered his body and stood. A tattered piece of cloth lay on the floor next to the other bed.

"Morning Gardevoir," Riolu said, though she made it sound like a question. Big red eyes regarded her with worry, and her mouth parted as if to ask more.

"Morning," Gardevoir replied and looked away. She didn't want to think about last night. Her own hands had almost murdered the small pokemon, the one she had promised to protect, and the mere thought almost made her grab the pokeball from the table and flee. The door to the bathroom clicked open and Rob stepped out.

He ran a hand through his messy hair. "Glad to see everyone's up," Rob said, his voice as tired as his bloodshot eyes. "I was hoping to head out today," he said through a yawn and turned to her. "Feeling any better today?"

Gardevoir's hand clenched into a fist but she met his eyes. "I'm fine." Her tone was harsher than she'd intended, but her control over the anger that boiled within her was tenuous.

Rob froze for a moment as his good-natured grin faded slightly. He stepped closer. "Gardevoir, something's been bothering you lately; are you sure you're okay?"

She glared at him. "Leave me alone." She spat the words at him, her fist shaking at her side. Rob looked as if she'd struck him.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rob placed a hand on her shoulder.

Gardevoir threw his arm off of her. "I said leave me alone." She got off the bed and stood. Rob was wide eyed but he moved to block her way.

"No. What happened; what's wrong?" He stood in front of her, his hand hanging in the air as if to reach out to her, his eyes concerned. Was it all just an act?

Gardevoir dropped her mental voice to a growl. "Get out of my way." Psychic energy enveloped her body, distorting the air around her and pooling in her hands. Rob took a step back, wide-eyed. She shoved him to the side, and he fell onto the bed. All eyes were on her, but she didn't care; she didn't care what Rob or any of the others thought. Her hand picked her pokeball out of the group on the table, and her palm touched the small button on the front. Red light struck her body and pulled her into the device.

The world seemed to dim around her, becoming a shade of the real thing. She hated being in these devices. At least when they were in stasis, it was like a dreamless sleep and not like watching a ghost world pass around her. She watched as Rob stared open mouthed at where she had disappeared. The other watched in silence as well. Rob stepped towards the desk, and the pokeball she had retreated to. He could force her back out if he really wanted to, but he only picked it up.

He seemed so sincere as he rolled the device in his hand, but his actions told a different story, and he must have stayed with that girl last night. Maybe Abra had just been a part of her that was too weak to admit the truth to herself. Rob was a liar.

She didn't experience motion at all inside the device, in fact she felt very little. Her psychic powers were out of reach, and she didn't think she had any physical form at all in this state. Rob placed the pokeball back on the table as if it might shatter before moving back to the bed and collapsing onto it, his head in his hands. Gardevoir watched the tension in the room, but she had no intention of coming out, no matter how much she hated being like this.

She wasn't quite sure how it worked. She could see them all as Rob made preparations to leave as if she floated in the middle of the room. Her vision wasn't restricted to one area, and she could look around freely. Rob finished his preparations and then grabbed his few belongings and left. After a quick stop to settle affairs at the front desk, they were once again setting out, away from the large human city. She noticed Rob's hand continually moving to check her ball at his belt, but he didn't make any further effort to release her.

Time also seemed to move differently inside the pokeball, or maybe it was just the turbulent thoughts that distracted her, but it wasn't long before the five of them were back on the familiar pathway leading north of the city. Once away from the crowds and people, Gardevoir released herself from the confines of the pokeball.

Rob noticed and stopped, but she had already retreated a good measure behind the others. His mouth hung open as if to say something, but she met his questioning glance with a glare. The others stopped to look too, and Riolu seemed about ready to run to her, but none moved as they watched her. Rob's mouth clicked shut and he turned to lead them onward without a sound, but his shoulders slumped as he continued down the road.

How could he do something so callous? After everything she tried to get closer to him, he went and picked the first human girl to speak with him as his mate, and then he just left her the morning after. Psychic energy arced between her fingertips as she walked.

"You can fix everything." The voice echoed through her mind, bodiless but more real than any of her companions'. She shivered, knowing she could never do it, not even now. Darkness fell after hours of walking in peace along the dirt packed road.

Rob's voice broke the awkward silence that had followed them from Goldenrod. "We'll stop here for the night." As Rob began to set up his tent, the other moved about to look for wood should Rob decide to start a fire, and he almost always did. Gardevoir wasn't going to just sit around, so she joined the search, albeit away from the others.

As she returned from dropping off a few branches, Riolu noticed her, and the small fighting type dropped the sticks she carried. Blue and black fur collided with her legs, and strong arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace. Riolu didn't say anything, and Gardevoir reached down to stroke the pokemon's head.

"Thanks," she whispered to the small pokemon, and she was released from the hug. Large eyes looked up into hers, but neither spoke, and Riolu moved off with one more look over her shoulder, a question sparkling in those innocent eyes. Gardevoir had almost closed those eyes forever.

A short time later they were all huddled around the crackling fire Rob and Quilava had created. Gardevoir had her back to the flames as she looked out over the star ocean above her. A cool breeze carried the smoke away from them and created a pleasant contrast between the heat of the fire.

"Here," Rob said, handing a packet of travel food to her. Gardevoir paused before taking it from him, the hunger that ate at her stomach overriding her current feeling for the human. She didn't look at him though as she snatched the food from his hand.

Rob didn't leave. "What's wrong Gardevoir? If you want to talk about anything you can-"

She didn't let him finish his act; she'd heard those same words from him before. "I have nothing to say to you," she growled into his mind. She could see him wince slightly from the force of her psychic touch, but he persisted.

"This isn't like you, if I've done something to offend you I didn't mean it. If you just told me-" Anguish poured into her through the fin on her chest, churning her stomach with the possibility of being wrong, but he had fooled her in the past, and now she knew how little he cared for those he ensnared with his act.

"I fell for it, but you're just as bad as the rest of your kind, aren't you?" Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away from him. "I thought you were better," she choked out and stood. She could see the hurt and confusion on Rob's face from the corner of her eye, but she moved out into the darkness, away from the fire and her trainer. He didn't follow.

The night air was cold as she moved away from the warmth of the flames, but the fresh air was clean and crisp, a welcome change from the city. She sat down in the grass where she could still see the glow of the fire and the silhouettes of her traveling companions. Rob's was a far crueler torture than any Wes or his pokemon had inflicted on her. Her insides burned, and she felt ready to throw up. Slow tears made their way down her face as she stared into the darkness.

As the fire died out and the shadowy forms dispersed, Gardevoir moved back towards the camp. The stones lining the fire still radiated a pleasant heat, and the coals shimmered amongst the burnt wood. Gardevoir lay out near the steady warmth and closed her eyes, drifting into an uneasy rest.

* * *

The following day passed in a similar fashion. Rob once again tried to approach her, his eyes ringed with darkness and shoulders slumped. She ignored him though, and eventually he gave up. She slept outside once more, with nothing but the clear sky and twinkling stars above her.

Morning illuminated yet another beautiful day as Gardevoir woke to a cloudless dawn. The others didn't sleep much longer either, and it was less than an hour before they were on the move again. Rob's haggard face turned to glance at her throughout the day, but she met his gaze with ice each time. The morning passed in peace, and it seemed that no wild pokemon dared challenge them with her around anymore. She could feel them about, but none more than looked from the wooded tree line.

A voice from behind snarled a greeting. "Well hello."

Gardevoir froze. She knew the voice, knew it all too well as ice crept up her spine. The others turned too, including Rob, though he wouldn't be able to understand the Absol's words.

"You still hunt me?" Gardevoir asked with clenched fists, her seldom used voice carrying in the still air. She tried to hide her shaking fists as her skin grew clammy.

Her trainer's voice carried a trace of fear as well. "That-that Absol only has one eye, just like- Gardevoir is that the one that attacked you before?"

"Oh, so they remember me? I can't wait to play with them as well, after I finish what I started with you back in Master's home. Before you murdered him," Absol spat. An insane grin twisted the dark type's face in a horrible snarl.

"Leave," Gardevoir sent to Rob. She didn't take her eyes off Absol, but she wouldn't let the other get involved in this. The other pokemon had surrounded Rob after noticing Absol, but this was her fight.

"No. I'm not going to just-"

"I said leave." She almost shouted it at him. Her fists shook as fear clenched her stomach, but she would not let them stay. "You'll just get in the way."

Absol began to make her way towards them from the tree line. The dark type padded through the low grass, every movement filled with the predatory grace of a killer, slow and methodical, ready for the kill. White fur framed bared teeth and a hunter's gaze. There wasn't much time left to stall.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you. I'm sorry, but it's not worth risking yourself like this. I promise I'll make it up to you after-"

Gardevoir fought to keep her voice from breaking as she shouted a command to her trainer. "Leave! There's no time. Just go."

"But-"

"Go. Get away from me." Her chest heaved, desperate to fill burning lungs as adrenaline coursed through her. Absol's grin never faltered as she continued her advance. That single eye seemed to bore into her soul. A light pink line was visible on the creature's shoulder where a new scar had formed. Movement at her feet caught her attention, and she looked to see a red and white sphere.

"Bring that back." Rob's voice was low. Gardevoir had never heard fear from her trainer before, but his voice trembled almost as much as her fists. "I'm sorry. Please bring that back."

Gardevoir checked with her psychic powers to make sure they were running, and as she felt their psychic presence retreating, she brought her full attention to Absol. One of them would die today.

"That's cute, but they can't outrun me, and I'll make sure that human dies slowly, not like that runt that tried to protect you last time." Absol's laughter burned in her ears, but she kept a tight rein on her anger.

"You don't scare me anymore; I don't care what happens to me, and I will destroy you before you lay a paw on any of them," Gardevoir snarled. Absol's single eye began to glow with a sinister red light. Gardevoir expected the attack, and shut her eyes while turning from the beast. The dark type was immune to her psychic probes, but she didn't need them to feel the attack coming. Psychic energy wrapped her body and she teleported a short distance away.

"Cute, but you can't run away forever," Absol said with a grin as the dark type turned to face her once again. She had heard those words a lot lately. "Of course you could try, but I'll just go hunt down your friends, and you can cower while you watch me kill them, just like you did last time."

Psychic energy flared around her, mirroring the rage that burned within her, but it would be useless against the dark type. She would not let that disgusting creature continue talking about her friends like that. Abra's image had already been used against her; she would not let this beast dirty his name with her tongue.

"Pretty, but nothing more. You're useless. You were useless to our Master, and you will be useless in helping your friends." The dark type lunged again. Fury almost consumed her, and her powers begged for release, but Absol was right; her psychic attacks were useless. She only had one chance; the one Rob had given her. Psychic energy covered her instead and she teleported again, this time closer to the tree line.

"I will not chase you through the forest," Absol said as she moved once again to follow. "If you want me to go after your friends, just say the word. I can wait a little longer to see you die."

"I told you, I'm going to destroy you," Gardevoir snarled. Anger had replaced every rational thought in her mind. Her body shook as it tried to supply enough air to her burning lungs. The power inside her sang its intoxicating song, but it would be useless too. She only had one trick left, and Absol didn't know about it. Arrogance would be that creature's downfall.

"You couldn't protect Wes. You couldn't even stop me from leaving." Psychic energy warped the air around her as she spoke. "It was your fault that scum died."

Absol's roar rent the air. "I may let you live to watch me break that human of yours." The dark type was a blur in the fading light. Claws raked Gardevoir's chest as she slammed into the tree behind her. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, and blood ran from the three gashes along her stomach. Absol's eye began to glow, but Gardevoir shifted again.

"Did Zoroark leave you too after you failed to kill me a second time?" Gardevoir panted against a tree. This would be it. Maybe Absol would kill her, the dark type was capable of inflicting fatal wounds with barely a thought, but she could at least take the beast down with her. That she could do. "Can't even kill a psychic type? No wonder Wes died at my hands." Energy formed in her hands.

Gardevoir didn't even see it coming as her foe struck again. Pain blossomed in her stomach as claws separated skin and muscle. Spit flecked her face as Absol roared, fangs inches from her pale skin.

Gardevoir smiled. "Fucking die." She raised her hands and released. Light dazzled her eyes as energy exploded in front of her face. The blast felt like a kick to the chest, but the claws were ripped from her body. Gardevoir sank to the ground with a soft moan as she pressed her hands to her eyes. The blast scrambled her senses, and there was nothing but darkness and a dull ringing in her ears. Warmth spread across her stomach.

Sight returned slowly as Gardevoir slumped against the tree. Her racing heart had slowed as she lay there. Blood warmed her hands in an attempt to cover the gashes in her stomach, but she couldn't even tell how bad it was without sight. Adrenaline blocked the pain for the most part. Once she could see again, she staggered to her feet. She ignored her wounds; there was only one thing that mattered.

Absol lay at the base of a tree a few yards away. Gardevoir approached slowly. The white furred creature lay at an awkward angle, it back likely broken by the impact with the tree, but it still breathed. As she approached, Gardevoir could hear the creature's ragged breath. Its face was a distorted mess. Blood matted the fur that hung from the pokemon's face.

"I hear you. You're dead. You're dead!" The dark type slurred as it made shuddering movements on the ground. The one good eye Absol had been left with stared unseeing past her. White paws clawed in a vain effort to stand.

Gardevoir began to laugh. "You lose." Energy began to collect in her palms once again. The feeling of her very life draining away accompanied the attack, her hands trembling as she stood over her crippled foe. "I wish I could leave you here to suffer, but I won't. Not out of the kindness you never showed any other living thing, but because I want to know you died. I want to know what it feels like. To be the one that snuffs out your pathetic life."

Flecks of spit flew as Gardevoir snarled over her victim. "You forfeit your life, and I am glad to be the one to take it." Gardevoir pointed her palms at the pokemon's ruined face and released a radiant sphere of white light.

A grisly sight lay before her, but she had cleansed an evil from the world. Gardevoir sank to her knees and laughed, laughed until tears ran down her cheeks, laughed until she filled the forest with her hysterical mirth. She shook before the still form of a monster.


	15. Until the End

Scene cut: You won't miss anything, but if you want to read it, it's on adultfanfiction under Twill.

* * *

The perception of time was a strange thing. Numbness tingled in her fingertips. Her body felt cold. She couldn't stay here, but her body seemed stuck to the ground. Her eyes were heavy as she fought to keep them open. Maybe she should just rest for a few minutes. She looked down at her stomach.

Blood covered the hand she held to her wounds, and more marked the front of her gown, a lot of blood. Most of it was hers. Her eyes fell to the corpse. More blood. Thick red liquid pooled around the headless Absol. Once white fur soaked in the pool of crimson. Gardevoir felt nothing at the sight. She felt empty. She couldn't stay here.

A groan escaped her lips as she rose on limbs of water, legs ready to surrender her to the loam below. Her hand registered fresh warmth. The world swayed, but she held herself up against a tree, her other hand attempting to stop herself from bleeding out. Maybe the cuts had been deeper than she thought, but then it didn't matter; she had killed Absol.

She picked her way through the trees, her feet numb and eager to catch on protruding roots or holes. A crimson skyline met her escape from the trees, the very heavens marking her kill. The pokeball lay on the ground where Rob had thrown it.

_Rob_. Gardevoir stumbled to the sphere and bent to pick it up. Hands, tacky with blood, grasped the smooth surface, smearing the red and white with crimson. Blood made the ball slick in her faltering hands.

Rob was the reason she even lived. He had given her that gift, the gift she'd used to kill Absol. Had that been his intention, for her to kill the creature? She clutched the small object to her chest and began to walk.

Rob wouldn't have gone far; she knew he wouldn't have. The fact she'd even convinced him to leave surprised her. But then he'd left another recently as well.

Gardevoir gritted her teeth and kept moving. Teleporting wouldn't work. Even if she'd had the strength to do it, her mind flitted from fragmented thought to nothingness and back. Any attempt could bring her in the opposite direction for all she knew. Besides, he wouldn't have gone far.

She shuffled onwards. Tall grasses bit at her feet and shins, the sharp blades lashing against her skin as if they knew what she'd done. Her eyes locked on the horizon. If she could give the pokeball back to Rob, then everything would be okay. It had to be. She just had to go a little further. A thick warmth ran down her stomach.

"Gardevoir!"

Her eyes fluttered open. Step. She had to keep moving. Rob wouldn't have gone far. She had to bring the pokeball back; she should be almost there.

"Gardevoir!" Hands gripped her shoulders, and she looked up. Rob panted, his eyes wide with worry.

"Rob." Her mental voice was weak, but she was sure he could still hear her. Her legs faltered as she let him take some of her weight. "I brought it back." She held out the stained orb, her hands trembling as she offered him the pokeball.

He took the sphere but his eyes never left her. "What happened? Here, sit down, easy."

She could feel the darkness coming for her. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." It was almost upon her. She wavered.

"Shh, it's okay. Just hang in there for me okay?" Rob's voice came from far away. She had come far enough. The darkness was here, and she couldn't hold it off any longer.

* * *

Warmth pressed against Gardevoir's chest. "Rob?" She spoke aloud, not attempting to use her psychic abilities. Weight filled her limbs and held her eyes closed. Her senses returned slowly, the pain in her stomach earning a groan as she shifted. The warmth on her chest moved.

"You're awake!"

Furry arms wrapped around her, and she whimpered as her eyes shot open. Stars lit the sky overhead, and the heat of dancing flames caressed her skin.

"Sorry," Riolu said, the fighting type's face inches from Gardevoir's. Riolu released her and rose.

Gardevoir sat up with a wince, placing a hand to her injured flesh. The cuts had closed at least. "Where are we? How long was I out?"

"Only a day. Rob carried you in your pokeball while we traveled. Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. I-" She cut off. _I killed again_. Her face fell, and she looked away from her friend, eyes falling on the dark grass, firelight rippling behind her. "I-" but she let her sentence die again as someone approached.

Rob smiled, firelight playing off his eyes as he joined them on the ground. "Hey, feeling any better?"

Gardevoir nodded but continued to look at the ground in silence. With everything else on her mind, she had forgotten the last words she spoke to him. Before the fight she hadn't really expected to live, and the thought hadn't bothered her. She had just wanted the others to be safe.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do you need anything? Food, something to drink?" He acted as if nothing was wrong.

Gardevoir hesitated but nodded again. The only reason she lived was because of the gift Rob had given her, and the only reason she had been able to kill again. Had he expected that outcome?

Rob returned with a bottle of water and some of the travel food. "I'm glad you're back with us."

Gardevoir accepted the food but cringed away from his words. Emotions warred within her. She wanted to strike at him with bitter anger, and she wanted to break down, to confess what she'd done against his warm chest with his arms wrapped around her, telling her everything would be okay. Instead she ate, the dull ache of hunger in her stomach had been easy to ignore, but now that she had food, plain as it may be, she couldn't resist.

Rob sat cross-legged beside them, and Riolu hadn't said a word since he joined, but Gardevoir was thankful for the fighting type's presence. The others must be near by as well, but her hunger consumed her attention.

"I planned to return to the city when you came back, but it was already too dark to travel. I patched you up the best I could though, and in the morning you already looked better." Rob's voice calmed her, his words taking the edge off as she ate.

Strength began to return as she wolfed down the food, water cooling her throat. As she finished eating, she finally met Rob's eyes. "Could I talk to you alone for a bit?"

His eyes met hers, sadness dampening the smile on his face. His voice was soft below the night sky, wood crackling in the fire behind them. "Yeah, of course."

Gardevoir rose from the soft grass, hissing as the knot of pain tightened her stomach, her muscles stiff. Without turning to see if Rob followed, she walked out into the night. Blades of grass licked at her legs as she walked. Moonlight shone off her pale gown, giving her a ghostly aura, accented by the almost invisible green of her arms. As much as her wounds allowed, she tried to stretch her body after having lain for so long.

Rob's footsteps rustled in the grass behind her. What was she going to say to him? She thought the walk might help make sense of the feelings that raced through her head, but knowing that he was right there only muddled her mind further. Once they were a good distance from the camp, she halted, staring out over the darkened fields. The rustling behind her stopped.

Gardevoir turned to her trainer, and everything she had fought to keep bottled up broke loose. Her whole body shook. "I killed her." Her eyes locked onto the ground, but the moon illuminated her pale skin as if under a spotlight.

Rob's voice was no more than a whisper, but his words were firm and calm. "I know." He stepped closer to her.

Gardevoir's telepathic voice wavered, and she had to struggle to send the words, terrified of looking up to see the disgust on Rob's face. "I wanted to do it. I wanted her to die at my hands. I enjoyed it." Her vision blurred as tears distorted the darkened world around her.

Rob's arms encompassed her, pulling her face into his warm chest. "It's okay. She attacked you." He felt solid against her trembling form. His shirt smelled of dust and sweat, but the scent was overwhelmingly his, dragging up other memories where he had been there for her, where she had been pressed against him, just as she was now.

Her tears only increased. "Even if she hadn't, I would have still done it." Her small hands moved to tangle her claws in the fabric of Rob's shirt.

Rob's voice held an anger akin to what she felt. "That pokemon deserved to die. From what you've told me, and what I saw the first time, you did the right thing." Fingers dug into her back, pulling her tighter.

The cloth against her face muffled a quiet sob. Relief spread through her like a spring wind. Hearing her thoughts echoed by someone else, someone who didn't think of her as a monster or a wild killer but knew what she'd done filled her with a lightness of heart. Maybe she wasn't a monster, not if someone like Rob could think so. A hand ran slow strokes through her hair as she caught her breath.

"There's more though isn't there. The reason you were upset even before Absol arrived." Rob sounded older than he had just a day ago.

She had hurt him, unfairly maybe, but at his words she could also feel the anger surging to replace the hatred she reserved for herself. "Did you mate her?" She felt his skin tighten as her claws poked through his clothing and into flesh.

Rob stiffened, his hand ceasing atop her head. "What?"

"The city girl," she said, her telepathic waves an icy wind. "Did you mate her?"

Rob release her, shirt pulling free, and stepped back to look her in the eyes. "Did I what? What is this about?"

This time, Gardevoir met his gaze. Her voice dripped with the loathing she felt towards the human girl. "Elise." She couldn't see the blush on Rob's face through the darkness, but she felt the waves of embarrassment through her sensory fin.

"Gardevoir, where's this coming from? I don't see how-"

"Did you mate with her?" Her eyes focused on the twin slivers of moonlight that reflected from the dark outline of his face.

Rob cleared his throat. "Well, I mean – not exactly, I guess."

Her eyes narrowed, mental voice a low growl. "It's a simple question."

Rob let out an uncomfortable chuckle. "You'd think so, but-"

Gardevoir spun away from him, gown flaring out around her in a pale flurry. "Fine. I don't care." She shouted at him through her psychic link. "You treat me like I don't understand your human things, and maybe I don't know all of the things you do, but I'm not an idiot." Tears welled up in her eyes once more, collecting moonlight as they trailed down her cheeks. She wished the ground would split open beneath her and carry her into oblivion. A hand caught her shoulder.

"I don't think you're an idiot. Please, tell me what this is about. If I've done something wrong, then I don't know what it is, and I can't fix it unless you tell me." Rob's hands spun her around, pinning her to his chest in an embrace.

"Why did you do it?" she whispered. "I showed you my intentions, and you ignored me to chose that human you met off the street." She choked on a sob as her words touched Rob's mind.

His voice was a dirge to lay her desires to rest. "Gardevoir I-"

She wasn't ready to hear what he was about to say, not before making one last plea. An emptiness already began to spread through her though. "You saved me again. I was ready to die killing Absol, and I wouldn't have cared. You would have been better off without me. I'm sorry I came back."

Rob made as if to speak but she cut him off. A terrible clarity washed over her, the beacon she had relied on to her salvation faded into the darkness. She could almost hear Abra laughing.

"I know I'm only a pokemon, but you're the only person to have ever been kind to me. If you don't want me, then I'll never mention it again. I'll continue to battle for you if you wish, or I will leave, but I love you Rob." It felt as though she slit her own chest open to bear herself to him, tears soaked into the coarse fabric against her face. The pounding of Rob's heart thundered against her cheek, but his breath stopped.

"Oh Gardevoir. I- You're-" Rob's voice rang through her mind, though barely a whisper. "I can't."

It hurt, worse than any injury Absol's claws had inflicted. Fresh tears soaked Rob's shirt. Her claws latched into the fabric once more, this time to prevent herself from collapsing at his feet. She had known it all along really, but hearing it from him hurt so much more.

Her words were as dead as the tiny light of hope that had flickered out. "I see." She pulled away, putting space between them, the night's chill rushing in to replace Rob's warmth. "I will leave then, if you want. But, why? If you could just tell me why, then I'll..." Her words trailed off. She hated herself, hated what she was, hated that she wasn't good enough.

Rob tangled his fingers into the front of his hair. "Of course I don't want you to leave. It's not that I don't- You're not-" Rob sighed. "It just wouldn't work. It's better off this way."

She was a fool. Hope surged through her at Rob's vague answers. She took a step forward, eyes wide with one last chance. "Tell me why?"

"We should head back to camp."

"Please tell me."

"Because it's not right. It would be rape, and I couldn't do that, not to you."

Gardevoir stared, slack-jawed. "Rape?" He was serious. Her mind surged. Brilliant sapphire flames consumed her eyes as her psychic energy surrendered its will to her. "Rape?" Gardevoir shoved Rob to the ground with flows of her telekinetic powers. "You think you could force yourself on me?" Her eyes blaze as she took a step towards him.

"Don't do this." Rob pushed himself up, his form a bleak outline in the night, but she could feel his life force.

Gardevoir lashed out again, pinning Rob to the grass with weaves of telekinetic energy. "Even injured as I am, do you think you could lay a hand on me if I didn't want you to?"

"No."

"Then why?" She begged, needed to know why he continued to reject her.

"Because I captured you. We're not on an equal footing. Maybe you do want this now, but in a few months? If you grow to resent me for taking advantage of you, would you say something? Or would you just become miserable, afraid of what I'd do if you wanted me to stop?"

Rob looked away from her as she towered over him, eyes ablaze. "You're beautiful, Gardevoir. You make every movement look like a dance, and when you find a pokemon you wish to be with, I'll gladly release you, but we're not meant for each other."

"No, you're wrong. I'd never resent you, and if I did, I wouldn't just lie down and take it."

Rob looked up at her. "Just like all that time you fought for Wes?"

Gardevoir recoiled as if struck. The fire died from her eyes, and she fell to the ground. She fell to the ground and cried.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." One of Rob's hands touched her damp cheek, gently cupping her chin and lifting her gaze. His eyes met hers, and a thumb dragged across her glistening skin to wipe away a falling tear. His whispered to her. "Please don't cry. I hate knowing that I'm the reason you're sad."

Gardevoir looked into those eyes, light in the soft glow of the moon. His face sagged in a tortured mask of sorrow. She squeezed her eyes shut, freeing a large tear. One last time – she'd allow herself one last touch, and she brought a trembling hand to the human one that touched her face. The soft skin on the back of her hand firm beneath her fingers. And she gave up, right before a hand touched the other side of her face.

Rob's lips touched hers, and her eyes snapped open. She didn't move, didn't dare even to think as her heart hammered against the insides of her chest.

Rob pulled away slowly, breaking the contact, his breath hot against her skin. His eyes opened slowly, and he jerked back.

"I-I thought that you wanted-"

Gardevoir touched her lips, mouth slightly open as her lungs restarted. She looked up. "What did you do?"

"I don't know- It's what humans do when they want to show that they care for someone."

Gardevoir threw herself at Rob. He grunted as she struck his chest, and the pair of them fell to the ground, Gardevoir atop her trainer, clinging to him as if he might change his mind and disappear into the night.

Rob rest a hand on her back. "This wont be easy."

"I don't care." Joy overwhelmed her mind, a wave of happiness that washed away her ability to think or care, the pain from her wounds ignored. The warmth from Rob's body was all that existed in the world. Nothing else mattered. She gripped him tighter as she felt his other arm snake around her thin form.

Gardevoir wriggled within his embrace, trying to force her body closer to his, moving to nuzzle against his throat, his scent flooding her senses. A low chuckle rumbled against her cheek.

"This is how pokemon show their interest," she whispered into his mind on a soft flow of psychic power. Even just against the fabric of his clothing, her body against his sent jolts of delight through her. Her pale gown draped across the both of them, her living dress glowing in the moonlight.

Rob chuckled and brought a hand to stroke her hair. "I'm sorry I didn't notice before."

Gardevoir buried her face in the crook of his neck. She lay like that for a long time, the two of them in silence, Rob's hand running through her hair.

"Why did you leave Elise? Even she didn't deserve to just be left like that."

Rob sighed, and let his hand fall to her back. "I didn't just leave her. We weren't mates, just – friends I guess you could say. Sort of. We just hung out for the night, neither of us expected more."

"I don't get it." A finger lifted her chin. "How do you sort of mate?"

Rob looked into her eyes, a smile lighting his face. "Well for one thing..."

A hand on the back of her neck brought her face to his. An intensity fueled his actions this time. Gardevoir didn't understand, but she let herself succumb to his touch. She melted against him, strong fingers playing with her neck as his lips pressed to hers. She closed her eyes as Rob had, and gave in. _This was how humans showed that they cared_.

Rob broke away from her. "You really are beautiful."

Her mind no longer worked. She panted above him, dizzy from his intoxicating caress. She may not understand, but the way he made her feel – nothing in her life could have prepared her. Electricity seemed to buzz beneath her skin, heat flushing her cheeks.

She fell back against his chest, resting against the rise and fall of his body. "I want you as my mate." Euphoria split her face until her cheeks hurt.

Rob didn't answer immediately. "I can't, not without explaining some things first, things you need to know."

Every wave of joy froze, condensing into a heavy pit that weighed inside of her. "Don't you want the same thing?"

Rob rose, disentangling himself from her. His voice lost the playfulness of a few moments ago. "No I do – I think. I don't know. Ever since you've evolved you've done nothing but confuse me. You're graceful, and even when you're angry you have a charm about you, grating as it is at times. But there's more to it."

They were close. She could reach out and touch him, yet she felt walled off. "I don't understand-"

Rob cut her off. "Just listen, please. I find myself staring at you, wishing for exactly this sometimes – dream of it. But humans, we're not supposed to see pokemon like that. There are laws. If anyone ever found out that we mated, suspected even, I'd be arrested."

More human rules. "So what? I don't see how this matters."

Rob chuckled. "They'd revoke my rights as a trainer, and I wouldn't care, but they'd take you, the others as well."

"I wouldn't let them keep me. I'd come back and find you."

Rob shook his head. "If they even let you live, the league is too strong, even for you."

"I don't care." She moved closer to him, placing a hand against his chest, feeling the gentle thrum of his heart beneath her palm.

Mirth never touched his smile. "And can you risk the others as well? All it would take is one mistake. One wrong comment, or touch, or someone coming across us when we think we're alone. I just don't want to rush into this, not when there's so much at risk."

Gardevoir could see the weight in his eyes. She moved closer, and brought her lips to his as he'd done to her. A hand wrapped around the small of her back, pulling her flush against him.

Rob broke the kiss, smiling. "Almost."

Gardevoir fell against his chest, some of the warmth from before returning.

* * *

They returned to camp a short time later. Sandslash lay in a curl of blades near the fire, and Riolu lay with Quilava a short distance away, the fighting type's head resting on the volcano pokemon's furred belly.

Rob turned to her. "I'm going to sleep as well." His hand ran through her hair once more, sending a flutter through her stomach, and he turned back towards the tent. There had been a question in his statement, or maybe more of an offer.

Gardevoir hesitated only a moment before ducking into the tent after him. The crinkly material that made up the tent also blocked most of the moonlight, and inside she could not make out more than Rob's indistinct outline. She watched Rob pull the shirt he wore over his head, heard it land against the dark corner of the tent where Rob tossed it. Her pulse raced once again.

She knelt on the soft blanket that lined the bottom of the tent. He had said that she needed to know something before they mated, but he had already explained. They were alone in the tent. She couldn't read the expression on his face in the darkness.

Her hand moved of its own accord towards Rob's faint outline. Warmth from his bare chest greeted her three-fingered touch, green tips trailing over his skin. Hands came out of the darkness, a firm grip holding her, and she surrendered to the touch as it pulled her down. She giggled and then sighed as Rob pulled them together, her back against the heat of his chest.

Rob lay back, bringing the two of them to rest on their sides, his chest wide compared to her narrow build. A hand ran along her belly, just below the fin on her chest, snaking around her waist and pulling her flush with his naked torso. His touch sent tiny sparks through her belly.

Rob's breath was close to her ear, his voice content. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she replied, though in her own speech, not through telepathy. He would understand. She placed her hand against his arm, and let the overwhelming peace she felt carry her to sleep against her trainer.

* * *

Gardevoir woke with a happy sigh. Early sunlight lit the small tent, and the warmth of the approaching day, as well as the human pressed against her, filled her limbs with a lethargic contentment. Rob. She rolled over to face him, a hand snaking around his lean body to pull them close. The angle made things awkward, and the fin on her chest pressed against him slightly.

She longed to once again link with him, feel his true emotions, but she couldn't yet, there would be a proper time. The thought brought up memories of her dreams last night, and she blushed as her hand stroked Rob's skin. She nuzzled up to his collar.

Rob groaned, his voice thick with sleep. "Morning Gardevoir." He ran a hand up her back and along her neck before weaving fingers into her hair.

Gardevoir shivered at the touch, taking a deep breath against his flesh, his male scent turning her insides to electricity. She nipped his collarbone, careful of how sharp her teeth were on his soft skin, but enough that he'd feel it. She smiled as she felt him tense against her briefly.

"How come you humans wear so many clothes?" She trailed a hand down Rob's stomach, feeling the warm, almost hot skin beneath her fingers until the tops of his jeans impeded her. She poked him just below his bellybutton. "They don't seem comfortable to sleep in."

Rob cleared his throat. "I uh, well we just do. I mean you have your dress, some pokemon have fur. It keeps us warm."

"You aren't warm?" She continued to prod, making Rob squirm against her.

"No I'm warm, it's just- What about you? Isn't that dress ever uncomfortable?"

Gardevoir shrugged. "I told you I can't really remove it. I've grown used to it since evolving." She froze as Rob touched her arm.

His hand moved along her green skin before coming to a brief pause at her shoulder. His fingers trailed the edge of green across her chest before coming to rest at the base of her fin. Sparks danced below his fingertips, rippling below her skin.

"Is it completely connected? How does it work?" Rob repeated the motion back towards her neck.

Gardevoir breathed heavily, the warmth of the tent increasing, her skin almost feverish where it pressed against her trainer. "I can't remove it entirely, but it's not connected everywhere." The heavy rise of her chest pressed her fin firmer against Rob as she tried to concentrate through his gentle passes over her neck. "Why are you so interested?"

Rob said nothing, instead placing a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back against the soft blankets layering the ground. He descended on her, his lips pressing to hers, and his hands began to roam across her body.

A loud crack sounded outside, and Rob bolted away from her cursing. Gardevoir reacted much slower, Rob's touch sorely missed.

"Gardevoir," Rob hissed, eyes intent.

"But," she whined.

Rob didn't look at her though. "Can you sense anyone out there?"

Gardevoir sat up and moved to where Rob crouched, his eyes focused as if they could see through the opaque fabric. "It's just the other pokemon." Her chest still heaved, and she wrapped her arms around Rob.

Rob didn't push her away, not physically. "We shouldn't have done this. I let myself get carried away."

Her arms dropped away and she sunk to the floor. "But I thought you wanted this too." Her face fell, a small portion of the chaotic bliss that coursed through her dissipating.

Rob's eyes snapped back to her. "What? No of course I do, I didn't mean it like that, but I told you before this wouldn't be easy. We have to be careful, if anyone found out..." He didn't finish.

"I see."

Rob lifted her chin. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind, and if someone caught us... I'll make it up to you okay?" He kissed her, not the wild, passion fueled touch as before, but soft, caring. He smiled as he released her.

A smile found itself on her own face as well. "Okay." Her body ached with an unreleased tension, but this was still the happiest she'd ever found herself.

"I uh, need to get dressed, and it'll take me a minute if you want to see what the others are up to."

Gardevoir's heart had slowed from the desperate race it had pounded in her chest, and she nodded. The cool air would be nice. With one last check to make sure she didn't look a complete mess, she opened the tent flap and moved into the pleasant morning sun.

All of her senses still felt heightened, the grass rough against her feet, and a slight breeze cooled the sheen that lay over her body. The other three pokemon were already awake. They looked up as she exited the tent, and Riolu rushed over to say good morning.

"You look better," the fighting type said, a wide grin across her face.

Gardevoir nodded. "Everything seems right for a change."

"I've never felt your aura so strongly as I did this morning. It was intense, vibrant."

Gardevoir froze, cheeks gaining a hint of color. "What do you mean?"

The little pokemon giggled at her side. "You just seemed very happy, that's all." Riolu began walking, but turned, a wicked grin splitting her face. "I'm glad you finally mated with him."

Gardevoir choked. She tried to speak but her words jumbled together in a telepathic mess. "No we didn't do that, and be quiet; do the others know?" she asked after regaining her ability to think.

Riolu's laughter drew the others' attention, but they returned to their conversation after a moment. "Are you sure you weren't bred in captivity?" Riolu chuckled. "You're almost as bad as Quilava. I think he picked up some of the human ways."

Gardevoir flopped to the ground, heart ready to give out. "Weren't you bred by humans?" she muttered.

"It was different." Riolu pounced, tackling Gardevoir and bringing them both into a short roll in the grass. For such a small pokemon, the fighting type was rather strong. "I'm just glad to feel such warmth from you." Riolu sighed into Gardevoir's chest. "Feeling your aura sometimes almost made me give up. You didn't deserve that."

Gardevoir returned the tight hug. "Thank you."

After breaking down camp with a quick meal, the five of them continued towards whatever town lay ahead. Gardevoir hadn't been paying attention. In fact, she found it very hard to concentrate on anything, moving in an unconscious dance as her mind drifted back to the morning. She watched Rob's back for a brief time before gliding up beside him and pointedly ignoring Riolu's taunting smile.

"How far are we from the town?"

Rob looked over, his face brightening as he laid eyes on her. "Well it's about a day, but there's a place nearby that I thought we might spend a little time at. I hadn't planned to, but after everything-" his eyes didn't quite meet hers as he said it, "it will be a nice place to rest. And considering how I haven't seen a single person on the road since leaving Goldenrod, it might be pretty empty."

She liked the sound of that. "Is it far?"

"About another hour or so, we should be there before noon. I forgot to mention it, but the other night, that was psychic you used on me, wasn't it?"

Gardevoir thought back, and she brought her eyes to life with sapphire flames. "I guess so."

"Congratulations, I know you've been working for it."

A lesser victory, but another regardless. Maybe that murder was a turning point, the phantom from her past defeated with Rob's help. It could all turn around from here.

With a slight hum she fell back to where the other three chatted, and then she realized what she was doing. She quit humming, and stopped prancing along the path. This new sensation interfered with her mind, and she felt like a fool. She would never have acted like this before, and worse, she almost didn't care.

Riolu also seemed to pick up her pleasant mood, and the pair of them walked in step behind Rob. The fighting type giggled on occasion for no reason Gardevoir could see, but the laughter was infectious, and she found it hard to contain herself as well.

Ahead, seemingly cut into the trees lay a wide path. A large archway showed a banner containing a bunch of the human letters, and a similar material that made the sidewalks in Goldenrod created a road through the wall of trees.

Gardevoir and the others followed Rob through the little archway and along the path, but at a closer look, there didn't seem to have been any humans here recently. Humans liked to keep things clean, and here weeds and grass already began to grow over the sides of the path, twigs and other forest debris cluttering the walkway.

"Do you sense anyone around?" Rob asked, also looking confused by the abandoned state.

Gardevoir expanded her psychic presence, viewing a larger area than she could see with her eyes. See wasn't quite the right word, but she could feel any nearby life. "No humans."

It didn't take long for the path to open into a large clearing with benches and even a large building in the distance, yet she still felt no other humans around. For some reason it didn't seem unnatural, and Rob lead them deeper, eventually taking a path that lead to a large sandy swath of ground that ran up against a wide lake.

"Well, there's no crowds this time, so I guess you guys can do whatever you'd like. We can take it easy before we go fight the next gym." Rob set his pack down against the trunk of a tree with a sigh.

Riolu groaned. "I-I feel strange."

Gardevoir turned to look at her friend and was forced to shield her eyes. A brilliant light shone from the fighting type, the purest white blazing against the other four gathered around. She tried to probe with her psychic powers but it felt like static. It didn't last long though, and the light faded to reveal a very different pokemon.

Hard lines and edges replaced the rounded features of Riolu, and her friend now stood almost twice as tall.

Lucario took a few hesitant movements. "This feels incredible." She tried a quick jab with a steel-backed paw.

"Congratulations!" Gardevoir threw her arms around her friend, careful to not impale herself on the steel chest spike.

Lucario returned the hug, maybe a bit stronger than intended. "Thanks. My mind feels different as well." The jackal smiled, wicked grin gleaming with fangs.

"Congratulations," the other two pokemon echoed. Rob hung back, but Gardevoir noticed him smiling when she glanced over at him.

Lucario picked up Quilava and squeezed him to her chest. "You're so cute and tiny now," Lucario teased as Quilava protested in her arms.

Quilava dropped to the ground in a haze of heat, Lucario letting go as his fur blazed.

Sandslash moved to pat Quilava on the head. "No worries, you'll be big and strong too some day."

Gardevoir heard Quilava growl at the mark but her attention already found a new target. She watched as Rob stretched a short distance away, and she teleported to him. The world shifted, and she threw her arms around Rob after rematerializing.

He jerked away in surprise. "If someone is nearby-"

"I checked. If anyone was close enough to see, I'd have felt them." She placed her arms around him again, leaning into his chest. "And the other pokemon won't care."

His quiet laugh rumbled against her face as his arms pulled her close. "Alright, this once then, but we need to be careful."

"I wouldn't let them take you even if they found us." Gardevoir squeezed him close.

Rob made a mixed sound of mirth and resignation. "Well then I guess we have nothing to worry about then." He closed his eyes and held her for a moment, which Gardevoir was more than happy to enjoy. "How about we go for a swim? The water should still be nice," and he pulled her towards the lake.

Rob lied. Nice described none of the lake's features. Even Rob hadn't been able to withstand the frigid waters very long, and her dress had only dragged her down in the murky waters, white folds tangling about her legs.

She lay in the tall grass above where the sand covered the ground. The thought of all that grit sticking to her was almost as unpleasant as going back into the water to clean it off. The lake did leave her feeling refreshed though. A breeze that had been enjoyable earlier now dimpled her skin.

"Mind if I join you?" Sandslash asked.

Gardevoir opened her eyes and shielded them against the sun overhead. "Sure."

"You should see the other two, Lucario is brutal." Sandslash laughed as he sat down to her left. "It's funny how you used to hate him."

"Quilava?"

"Rob."

"I don't hate him anymore," Gardevoir said, keeping her eyes shut.

Another laugh. "I guess not, with the two of you being so friendly."

The air around her started to seem much warmer. "I don't know what Lucario has been saying, but I have been feeling a little better after what happened."

Sandslash's voice was tight with the effort of keeping laughter out of his voice. "She hasn't said a thing, but I'm not blind. Or deaf."

Gardevoir's face burned, any hint of chill in the air gone as blood rushed to her face.

"You are just as bad as Quilava. Where did you pick up human ideas? I thought you said you never spent much time interacting with them."

"What about you. You've never talk about yourself." Gardevoir hoped to divert attention from herself before her face burned a hole through her skull.

The mirth in Sandslash's voice seemed just a bit forced this time. "Not much to say. I'm sure my story is about the same as for any other wild pokemon, nothing interesting."

He hid something, but she didn't press him. If he didn't want to talk, that was his business. She just wished the others felt the same way. They hadn't been that obvious, had they?

Rob returned, she didn't know where he'd gone, but they all gathered to help set up camp for an early dinner. She tried not to throw herself at Rob during their meal, but her mind didn't seem to belong to her anymore.

After they finished, Rob sat down next to her. "Do you want to take a walk?"

"Of course." She smiled and followed Rob away from their little camp, deeper into the thick treeline. The sun lay low on the horizon, coloring the sky a warm pallet of reds and yellows above by the dense canopy of leaves. Fallen twigs crunched underfoot as they walked, and Rob followed no path she could see.

"Where are you taking me?" Gardevoir asked, a hint of her playful mood seeping into her telepathy.

"It's not far, just up ahead." Rob turned, halting just before a what looked to be a small clearing. "Is there anybody around?"

Gardevoir shook her head after scanning the area with her mind. Not even wild pokemon were within range of her detection.

"Good." Rob pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers, catching her by wonderful surprise. "I know it's not much, but I said I'd make up for this morning, and well, this was the best I could come up with on short notice." He led her into the clearing.

A hole in the forest, sky peaking through the short ring of trees. It wasn't a large area, she could walk the length of open space in a matter of seconds, but it was beautiful in a simple way. She was alone with Rob, and a blanket already lay across the wild grass. "It's nice."

Rob led her towards the center of the clearing, below the hole in the trees that let in the last fiery moments of the day. He pulled her into another kiss, fingers digging into her back in a mirror of the passion she felt within herself. They pulled apart, staring into each others' eyes.

Gardevoir picked at the dark red fabric that covered his torso with a claw. "This is kind of scratchy." She stepped back to allow him to pull the garment over his head and admire his lean form, hidden by the silly article. Her insides danced, skin warming with rapid flutters of her heart.

Nothing but the gentle rustle of leaves in the soft wind made a sound, their breathing becoming heavy and pronounced. Gardevoir moved forward again, trailing thin white lines down his chest, claws extended just a hair against his soft skin. She nipped at his throat before falling to the soft blanket in Rob's arms.

* * *

Rob pulled her limp body to him, the two of them on their sides. "I love you, and I'm so sorry."

"I love you too, my mate." Gardevoir panted against his chest, the scent of their coupling sharp in the air. She hugged him tight, almost afraid to let go.

His voice wavered. "Are you okay?"

She smiled and looked up into his eyes. "When you found me, I felt unlucky to have survived, death would have been kinder. I can never repay you. I'm glad it was you. I'm so glad it was you." She squeezed her eyes shut before nuzzling into his throat, and she let Rob hold her while the sun sank below the treeline.

"You owe me nothing."

* * *

"They're approaching the city, and there's been a development."


	16. Creators

Scene cut: You won't miss anything, but if you want to read it, it's on adultfanfiction under Twill.

* * *

Rob was fairly certain that he left any hint of sanity back in Goldenrod, but it felt great. His team would be the ones to suffer for his stupidity though. The fact that he found peace in his decision wrenched his stomach, but his step was light on the dirt path.

Two months they'd been together, Quilava and Gardevoir. A lot had happened in those two months, and they'd spent almost every moment of those days in each others company. Was it such a stretch that he'd become attached to his pokemon, his friends? Obviously not. He just hoped for all of their sake his feelings were driven by more than lust.

She was beautiful though. Her flowing gown, graceful step, slender body light and willowy, her white and green skin perfect beneath his fingers. He shook his head before that line of thought could continue. And he had taken her. The connection they'd shared in the forest, under the setting sun would fill his dreams for a long time. That night made him a felon.

He had tried to ignore her, those mornings he woke up, Gardevoir clinging to his side and her soft body finding him vulnerable. He tried to ignore it, only some sick freak would take advantage of their pokemon like that. A rapist, a trainer that forced his pokemon to fight during the day and use their body at night. Yet he couldn't feel the disgust in himself that any sane person would feel.

Gardevoir was sweet, beautiful, smart. Her time before they'd met left scars, issues she may never fully get over, but in his hands she melted into a fiercely loyal and kind person. She wasn't just a pokemon. Her mind was no different from his. He let out a dark laugh. No one else would see that.

His mother would be devastated when the league went to his home, looking for a fugitive. Their son, the worst kind of trainer, betraying every moral they'd tried to impart. He could never tell his parents about Gardevoir, anyone really. They wouldn't live long anyway, best to just enjoy the time. He had already ensured their deaths.

Gardevoir had broken him, crushed his ability to resist. He had tried, but in the end, he had failed her.

* * *

Lucario strode down the path beside the others, happy to have a warm sun above them and this new body under her control. She felt powerful. Nothing could stop her. And she felt happy. Happy about everything, bubbles of carefree laughter floated through her and kept a smile pinned to her canine lips.

She could understand the aura that flowed around them fully now. It flowed through her, waves of feeling and emotion, Rob and Gardevoir's especially, their golden aura infecting her, making her want to sprint through the green fields that flanked the path. With the past behind her, and a group that accepted her without question, she felt free of the chains that weighed her soul down to the place she was born.

Lucario spoke to Gardevoir with her new powers to manipulate aura, able to speak directly to the psychic's mind. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Mmm." Gardevoir smiled.

"You and Rob returned late last night."

"Did we? He uh, took me to a meadow he found in the forest." Gardevoir stared ahead at Rob.

"Did he." Lucario could feel her friend's aura shift. Embarrassment and passion mixed with the general warmth of joy. Lucario sidled closer to Gardevoir. "You enjoyed it then?"

Gardevoir nodded, and a light flush colored her pale cheeks. "When he-" Gardevoir cut herself off, her face deepening another shade.

A pang of jealousy gripped her heart. Not about Rob, she didn't care for the human, but she had felt their aura. Even from the distance the two were from camp, the intensity of feelings they shared, the brilliant force of their souls combining. An aura like sun made liquid. She wanted that, to experience that.

The others couldn't hear their mental conversation. "Those scratches. Are they from you?" Lucario lightly touched her friend's back.

Gardevoir jumped.

Lucario moved her mouth close to her friend's ear despite communicating with aura. "I could feel your aura, both of yours. I could feel that storm of pleasure when he released in you." She could feel the heat radiating from Gardevoir's cheek.

"What has gotten into you?" her friend squeaked.

Lucario could smell the reaction of her words, a tangy scent floating from Gardevoir's graceful body. She looked at Quilava walking obliviously a few paces ahead. She released Gardevoir.

"Sorry," but her words went unnoticed, her friend's half-glazed eyes seeing something else. Soon.

* * *

Focusing had become an impossible task since the night before. Her body expected a child, desired to bear her mate's young. That would never happen, but her body didn't know, so she wandered through the day, mind split between thinking of Rob, and attempting to not think of what she wanted him to do to her. A losing battle.

With the other pokemon searching for firewood, and Rob just finishing setting up his small tent, Gardevoir went to him. "Did we have to leave the other place so soon?"

"Unless you wanted to drink the lake water." He smiled though and gave her hair a quick stroke. "It won't take us long to challenge the gym and resupply."

She sidled up against him, but Rob rebuffed her affections. "You can't, not here."

"But I've been waiting all day. I-" Her face burned, but the tightness in her belly was ready to overwhelm modesty. "Our mating started something, something I need from you."

Rob pulled her to his chest with a gentle grip, his voice soft. "You know I can't."

Gardevoir cooed against him. "I know." His scent filled her senses. "But I still feel the need." The others were out of sight. She had Rob to herself, a predatory light in her eyes. "I've dealt with it all day."

She touched his face before moving a hand beneath his shirt. The gentle thrum of his heart beat beneath her fingers, warm and steady. The wounds on his back had just begun to heal. She gazed up into his summer green eyes. "Please?"

Already a light sweat formed between her palms and Rob's chest. She ran her hands down his stomach before coming to rest on the waist of his jeans, insistent. Her advance forced Rob back towards the tent opening, their eyes locked.

"If someone comes-"

Gardevoir pushed him through the flaps, hunger burning within her, and she could see it mirrored in Rob's gaze as well. Once inside the protective shroud of the tent, her insistence broke Rob's resolve.

* * *

Her head swam. Coherent thought still eluded her, so she just lay in Rob's arms and continued to slowly process each feeling that washed through her body. Rob's slowing heartbeat against hers, his fingers brushing the hair from her face, his soft lips against her flushed skin. And so she lay, arms holding her body to his.

"I hope this can last," Rob whispered and drew her head into the crook of his neck.

With a loving nip at Rob's neck, Gardevoir sighed. "I'll always be here."

"Gardevoir?"

"Mmm?"

"You'd tell me if this wasn't what you wanted, right?"

Gardevoir concentrated on forming hands made of psychic energy. She used them to run along Rob's back and draw him against herself. "Of course."

Rob hugged her. "That was cute in a somewhat terrifying way."

Gardevoir smiled and buried her face against his chest. She spoke aloud. "I love you."

* * *

"I don't like this place," Gardevoir said to no one in particular. The forest wall pressed right up against the human city, a stark border between untouched nature and human development. It wasn't that in particular that bothered her though. The city itself felt – wrong, like an oily slick of corruption hung in the air. She could see Lucario nodding in agreement out of the corner of her eye.

Rob sighed. "You don't like any place with a lot of people around."

"This is different." She couldn't quite explain it though. Not quite a psychic premonition, but she wouldn't believe it was just her imagination. The feeling made even small details seem ominous.

Despite the warm, midday sunlight and pleasant breeze, few other humans shared the streets with them. The ones who did scurried along, in a hurry to be off the silent streets. No one looked at their small group, at least not directly. Quick glances and hateful looks followed them on their way.

While normally crowded, the lobby of the large pokemon center lay almost empty. A trainer sat in the far corner, huddled over his food and ignoring their group. Gardevoir could feel fear and hatred from the lone woman who occupied the front desk. The invisible filth dampened every positive emotion, only allowing the darker sides of others' hearts to her notice.

"What do you want?" The nurse's eyes swept over Gardevoir and the other pokemon.

Rob looked taken aback by the open hostility. "I uh- Sorry?"

"We just gave you the last of what we had. There's nothing left." The nurse put on a brave face, but Gardevoir could feel the stomach twisting fear through the fin on her chest.

Rob put his hands up defensively. "I really don't know what's you're talking about. I only just got to the city a half hour ago and was hoping to get a room."

The nurse looked stunned. "You just got here?"

"I came from Goldenrod. Has something happened? There weren't any others that I saw on the way here." Rob looked around the lobby again.

"You have to leave," the nurse said, leaning in towards Rob and lowering her voice. "I don't know why they let you in, but go the same way you came."

"What are you talking about? What's going on?"

The nurse scanned the lobby before walking around the desk. "Hurry." She jerked her head and headed towards a hallway.

"We should just leave," Gardevoir said to Rob. Her skin prickled, the other pokemon quiet.

Rob shrugged. "There's something not right here, and we can't just leave without finding out what it is." They followed after the nurse.

The woman led them to a room and motioned them in. Once they had all entered the nurse followed and shut the door behind them. "Are you here to help?" She gave Rob's pokemon a dubious look.

"To help with what? I have no idea what's going on."

"So, news hasn't even left the city? But Morty said- Team Rocket has taken over. They control the city."

Rob raised an eyebrow. "Team Rocket? That's ridiculous."

"You have to leave the city. As soon as possible. Please. We need someone to get word to someone outside who can help, and if they let you in, then maybe you can..." The nurse chewed her lip. Gardevoir could tell she was holding something back.

"I came here to challenge the gym. I can tell Morty about it but if this is as bad as you say, why hasn't the league already been brought in?"

"No." The nurse grabbed Rob's arm. "He said he has, and if you don't know all of this already, that means he's involved. There have also been deaths, accidents. Sometimes pokemon get hurt during battles, but we thought it might be a cover up. But if they actually are from Morty's gym..."

"No one stopped me on the way in, and how could anyone stop word from getting out? No one here has a flying pokemon?" Rob's face showed worry, but his voice held firm.

The nurse looked over Rob's pokemon once again. "They let you in for some reason. With that many pokemon trailing, they should have picked you up. They know you're here. Get out."

Rob sighed. "I'm sure my team is exhausted, and we need supplies."

"Then leave first thing in the morning if you must." The nurse pressed the room key into Rob's hand. "Don't leave the room with more than one pokemon. You'll already draw suspicion, and it's not only Team Rocket who have come out of the woodwork. Leave, if you can. As soon as you can." And just like that the woman left.

Rob stared down at the key in his hand. Silence hung in the room, all eyes waiting for Rob to act, say something, explain what was going on. He merely slipped the pack off his shoulders and flopped onto the room's single bed.

Gardevoir spoke so they could all hear her. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Rob said, voice weary. "If it really is that bad why wouldn't she explain more? How could anyone stop news getting out of the city? And Team Rocket?"

Gardevoir had heard that name before. "Didn't a nurse in one of the other cities say something about them?"

"Someone is always talking about them, but they broke up years ago." Rob twirled the key around his finger and stared up at the ceiling.

"You think that woman lied? Why would she do that?" Gardevoir asked.

"I don't know."

The others moved into the room. Quilava jumped up onto the bed and nuzzled against his trainer, earning a distracted ear scratch. Sandslash stretched out on the ground, and Gardevoir was about to try to slip onto the bed as well, but noticed Lucario's dark expression.

"Something wrong?" Gardevoir asked her friend.

"I saw that look he gave me. He wants to capture me."

Gardevoir frowned. "It would only be briefly, and he never keeps us in them."

"He's a human," Lucario spat.

Gardevoir's mental voice was hard. "He's my mate." Their eyes met, but Gardevoir didn't wait for a response before entering the room. She wasn't angry, not really. She had hated Rob before, but he had proven himself. The chair in the corner of the room, close to the bed, looked comfy enough, and Gardevoir took a seat in it to wait. Rob would figure out something to do.

After a time sitting in silence, Rob got off the bed. "I want you guys to stay here." He hesitated. "If anyone forces their way in here, I'll leave it up to you to scare them off. If they refuse to leave, well, do what you can."

Gardevoir stared at him, and she saw the others wide-eyed as well.

"Gardevoir, could you come with me, please?" It was a question.

She stood, well aware of the tension in the way Rob stood, the tightness in his voice, but she would not let him go alone. Whatever the humans wanted, they would leave the two of them alone, and if not, she would protect Rob. Outside the room, everything was still. No one moved around the lobby; no one spoke. The solitary trainer sat in one corner, his eyes darting back to the table when he noticed her looking.

"If you are worried about the others, shouldn't they come with us?" Gardevoir asked.

"They will be safe in the room. If there's even anything to worry about," but his voice didn't sound confident. In fact Rob seemed to have adopted the hunched shoulders and withdrawn posture that the other human's in this city wore.

"If it is true, well, it's better they aren't with us." Rob didn't explain, but Gardevoir felt the weight of his words, why Rob had only asked for her to accompany him.

"We could just stay in the room too, and leave in the morning?" Gardevoir followed close behind Rob. If anything happened, or she felt anything, she could grab him and teleport them both to safety before something could happen.

"We wouldn't make it with the supplies we have. Besides, no one would try anything out in the open like this." But Rob's gaze betrayed his words. His head swiveled, trying to watch every door and alley at the same time.

The other humans gave them a wide berth, and no one looked up at them, yet Gardevoir couldn't help but search with her psychic powers. She felt them, human and pokemon both, but also a faint hint that there was so much more hiding just out of reach of her mind's eye. And of course that thick, heavy feeling the city seemed to exude. It clung to every tendril of her psychic power, seeped under her skin as the two of them walked towards the heart of the city.

Gardevoir tried not to look like she cowered behind Rob, but her trainer also walked as if to blend in. His shoulders slumped, mimicking the other humans that walked about. She found herself hunched as well, but she kept her eyes and psychic powers searching, ready to attack anything that might threaten Rob. She wasn't supposed to attack other humans, but this place felt different, and she wouldn't watch Rob get injured.

Rob lead them into an almost empty store and moved towards the back where travel supplies were kept. He kept his voice low despite no one being around. "I want to capture Lucario, even if it's just until we leave the city. Is that going to be a problem?"

Gardevoir looked to the shelf which held the dried food they ate when traveling. "I don't think so." She could feel the shopkeeper watching them from the front of the store.

"I need you to-" but the shop door opening drew Rob's eyes.

A human entered the store. He didn't have any pokemon with him, but he didn't walk with the slumped posture of this city. He glanced around, eyes lingering on where she and Rob stood. The man looked at them, and then left the store without even looking at a display.

"I don't think we should stay here," Gardevoir said. The man's psychic presence quickly faded in with the others and beyond her reach.

Rob had already began to snatch items from the shelf. "Agreed. Something's not right here." He grabbed a few more items on the way to the front counter. "Hi."

The shopkeeper didn't smile, nor did he respond to Rob's greeting. He only took the items and pointed a strange red light at them. Maybe the shopkeeper could feel it too, and Rob's forced smile stood out like a reminder of the city's wrongness.

The two of them had only been inside a short time, but streetlights already began to struggle against the deepening shadows, the sun's rays hidden behind a low skyline. Few people remained on the streets now, and all of them had pokemon at their side. She couldn't sense some of them. Dark types. She stopped herself from grabbing Rob.

"We just need to stop by the gym," Rob said at the corner of one of the streets.

"Not now." Gardevoir peered down the darkening road that Rob faced. Shadows lurked just out of reach of the tiny pools of light given off by the lamps. "If you really need to, do it tomorrow."

"We're already out. It's just down the road," but he sounded as if he just wanted someone to convince him to go back for the night.

Gardevoir nudged him in the direction of the pokemon center, and Rob started moving. She still couldn't shake the oily filth that clung to her body and mind. It felt like being locked in Wes' basement once again, Absol looming over her, the creature's foul breath hot against her cold skin. She had killed Absol. "We should just leave in the morning."

Once they were back inside the pokemon center, Gardevoir breathed easier. The interior was well lit, and despite her initial experience, the clean white and red buildings were beginning to feel like a safe-haven. Warm rooms, a bed, rest for herself and the others, it was a break from everything, nothing would bother them here. Even the wrongness of the city seemed lessened by the sterile building.

The lobby truly was empty this time. The human in the corner had gone, and no one watched over the front desk either. A silence followed them back to their room. Inside, Lucario and Quilava sat together on the bed. Sandslash slept curled up on the ground, the blades on his back forming a protective barrier that tended to destroy the sheets and furniture he slept on.

As soon as soon as the door shut, Lucario stood and strode towards them, her eyes fixed on Rob. The angular features of her canine body gave Lucario an imposing figure, intense and focused.

Gardevoir felt her body tense, and she took a step forward. In a fight, Lucario wouldn't stand a chance against her. Typing and power both favored her, but Lucario ignored her, instead stopping a few feet before Rob.

Lucario's aura-carried voice was clam, but hard. "You want to capture me don't you?"

Rob met the wild pokemon's gaze. "Yes."

Gardevoir's breath caught, waiting for one of them to make a move, to protect her mate if needed. She looked from one to the other, each sizing the other up. Even Quilava stood on the top of the bed, waiting.

"I guess I should thank you." Lucario didn't blink, red eyes against green. "You let me be free this long. But if you try to use me like the other humans used my mother, or steal my pups." Lucario's paws clenched into fists. "I won't let you."

Gardevoir bared her fangs at the threat. Rob would never do anything like that, and no one would threaten her mate right in front of her face.

Rob placed a hand on Gardevoir's shoulder without looking and nodded. "You're free to do what you want; this is just in case."

Lucario nodded, and Rob reached into his pack to pull out a pokeball. He tossed it, and Lucario snatched it from the air, careful to avoid the button on the front. She broke their staring match to look at the small red and white sphere. Finally, Lucario pressed it, and a red flash sucked her into the device. It fell to the ground and clicked without a tremor.

Rob bent down and picked up the pokeball and released Lucario back into the room. "We should get some sleep." He bolted the door to the room.

Gardevoir intercepted Lucario as she tried to enter the room. "Rob wouldn't do any of those things."

Lucario met Gardevoir's eyes. "I was just letting him know my terms. You know what they did to me, and you should know what humans do to pokemon."

"You didn't need to threaten him."

Lucario looked down, and Gardevoir walked past her to join the others.

Gardevoir shared the bed with Rob and Quilava. Lucario sat in the chair in the corner of the room, moonlight reflecting off her large eyes.

Gardevoir couldn't wait to leave this place. It had everyone on edge, and she could feel the slime seeping into her. She snuggled up against Rob, breathing deep against his back, and she closed her eyes.

* * *

Gardevoir followed Rob off the main road and turned west. This new street held far fewer people, and Gardevoir went from trying to weave between humans to having the entire sidewalk to herself. Something about it felt wrong. She tried to sense for danger like she had been able to in the past, but the only thing she felt now was the sense of corruption Lucario had described. They would be out of the city soon.

Rob's pack weighed on her trainer's back, and for once he had a belt of pokeballs at his waist. He had decided to follow the nurses advice and only bring Gardevoir along for protection. Lucario hadn't liked it, but had agreed.

Only two other humans walked down the road. This street was the main way in and out of the city in the west, but something felt missing with so few occupants. Gardevoir could feel humans around them, in the buildings and nearby, but none ventured out onto the street.

A man walked out of an alley and straight into her. "Oh, please excuse me," the young man said. "But don't make any sudden movements, or your trainer will die."

Gardevoir stared at him with wide eyes. Instinct filled her body with psychic energy, causing the air around her body to shimmer. Something brushed against her gown. A Liepard strut at her feet to let her know exactly how close the pokemon was.

Her hands shook, eyes darting. This couldn't be happening. Rob! And then she saw them. Honchkrow flew overhead, some perched on the sides of buildings, but they all had eyes pointed towards where this human had stopped her. A Mightyena crossed the street ahead on the heels of another human.

Rob's voice called out to her. "Gardevoir?"

She tried to move past the human, but he stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.

"Easy now. If you try anything, he'll be dead before you could get close. If you just calm down, everything will be fine, and your trainer will walk away without any problems. We just want to talk."

Anger filled her telepathic voice. "Who are you? If you hurt him, I'll kill every human on this street." But she didn't move, the human was right. She would never get to Rob in time. She couldn't stop all of them.

The human spoke in a soothing tone, the grip on her shoulder reassuring. "Just calm down. I know someone who wants to talk with you. That's all we want to do, talk."

Gardevoir hissed at his mind. "You don't need this many pokemon to talk."

"But you're dangerous, Gardevoir. You need help, and we want to help you. You don't want to keep hurting others do you?"

Threatening Rob's life wouldn't help anyone. "Then why not talk to Rob. If you just wanted to help then you wouldn't have to kidnap either of us."

"I'm sorry, but he's not allowed to know about what you are." The human gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"What I am?" An arc of psychic energy leapt and struck the human's hand.

He jerked back, grimacing at the shock she'd given him. "Please just try to stay calm. This won't take long, and the others will be able to explain better. I'm just here to collect you."

Another human came up behind the first. This one was thick and muscled with a Houndoom at his side."We got the ball."

Gardevoir screwed up her face in a snarl, baring her tiny fangs at the pair. "What did you do to him?"

"Easy there little one. Your trainer agreed to let us borrow you for a bit. Don't worry. He said he'd be waiting for you when we're done," the thick armed human said.

"Liar," she shouted into the man's mind.  
"Come now. The quicker you go with us the quicker you and your trainer can leave." The first human firmed his grip on her shoulder and steered her back towards where she and Rob had come from. Two dark pokemon flanked her, and she could still see the Honchkrow overhead. She trembled as the two humans escorted her back into the city. For the first time since meeting Rob, she felt alone amongst them again.

The building the two humans led her into didn't look any different from the others that filled the city, but the oily, tainted feeling that encompassed the city increased with each step closer. The human had let her go, but the two dark types still flanked her, ensuring that she didn't try anything. She could try to run, teleport away, but she'd never get to Rob before they- Gardevoir wanted to cry.

Other humans had seen them on the street, the two humans and their pokemon escorting her along the walkway, but anyone who saw left. These people must be the Team Rocket that Rob and the nurse talked about.

Should she have attacked, tried to free Rob? Would they even let him go if she did cooperate? The power that lurked within her sang. With that she could have done it. The thought seemed to belong to the power as much as herself.

"The boss is waiting for you downstairs. You should be polite to him. We just want to help." The larger human grabbed her shoulder in his giant hand and shoved her towards what looked like a closet. She entered, and the two humans got in with their pokemon.

Gardevoir tried to edge away from the two dark types, on at each side, but there was no place to go in the tiny room. One of the men pushed a button and doors slid shut. The closet moved. Gardevoir's stomach dropped along with the floor. Not a quick descent, but not an expected one either. The doors reopened a moment later, and she assumed they were now underground. A shove got her moving again.

Gardevoir bristled, but as soon as she stepped outside of the moving closet, the sense of – wrongness – intensified. It felt cold, oppressive, like a layer of filth covered her skin. The grime became thicker the closer the human shoved her towards a pair of large wooden doors. The burly man moved ahead to open them.

"Welcome back, Gardevoir." A man in a dark suit sat behind a large wood desk. The polished top shone in the dim light, empty except for a small stack of papers. Two Houndoom guarded each side of the doorway.

Gardevoir could sense other pokemon here as well, ghost types, though she couldn't see them with her eyes. And something interfered with her abilities, her mental sight blurred as if seeing through a dense fog. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

"It has been a while, so I won't take it personally. You've been causing trouble again I hear." The gray-haired man took the pokeball from one of her captors, and the two humans who escorted her in departed, shutting the doors behind them.

Gardevoir's eyes narrowed. "Why am I here? What have you done with Rob?"

"The trainer you were following around?" The man laughed. "Yes I heard you had a – fondness for him. Not to worry, we just wanted to ask him a few questions and then he'll be on his way." He placed the red and white sphere on the top of his desk.

The way he had emphasized the word fondness sent a ripple of fear through her. These couldn't be the people who didn't want her and Rob to be mates; they couldn't have known. "What do you want with me?" The unseen filth that clung to her skin made even communicating difficult. The very air seemed to scramble any attempt at using her psychic powers.

"How much do you remember?" the man asked.

Gardevoir tried to hide the worry from her voice. "Remember what? I don't know why you attacked us. We've done nothing wrong."

"You are too dangerous to be left alone. I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave again."

A fist of ice gripped her insides, the chilling touch preventing her from even trembling. "I don't know who you are. You must be mistaken. Rob hasn't done anything. Please just let us leave." Her eyes darted around the room for any chance to escape, but with the number of pokemon, her only opportunity would be to teleport.

"You have siblings you know. Or had. You were all born in Team Rocket's laboratories. You all had incredible powers, but the power was too strong. It drove one of your brothers insane. We tried to help him, but instead he murdered every single person in the facility."

"You don't have any proof of this." But she couldn't feel any deceit in the human's words. It must be the filth dampening her abilities. Maybe this human was what created it, to use in tricking her. "I have memories of my parents, in the wild."

"We gave you those memories in hopes that it would help you adjust better."

"Liar," Gardevoir hissed.

"I can tell you exactly what your memories are if you would like. But why do you think they're so indistinct? I know you have trouble remembering."

Gardevoir stepped back from the man, his calm surety more terrifying than any of Absol's bared fang snarls. He was guessing, trying to confuse and intimidate her.

"Your brother killed the humans and released you and your siblings. You all fled, and we've been trying to find you since. You need to be watched. We know what the signs are, and we can help you from killing anymore. No one wants anyone to die. I know you don't want any more people to die, right?"

Gardevoir trembled, back now to the door, half to get away from the man, and half to support her. "I'd never hurt anyone."

"I know you don't want to, but you can't control it can you? I can help you. If you stay with your trainer, he's only going to get hurt. You don't want to hurt your friends do you?"

"I wouldn't do that." Gardevoir felt emboldened by the man's lies. He was just trying to trick her. "And you can't stop me from leaving."

He sighed. "If you try to run, my men will kill that trainer you came here with before you can leave the building." The man picked up some papers from the desk. Lines upon lines of human symbols covered each of the crisp white sheets.

"That boy, Rob as you call him, he has done something. While we don't particularly care what sick pleasures he takes from his pokemon," the man leered at her before returning to the papers. "He has been traveling with you, and that makes him a liability. If you don't follow, that means it would be better for everyone if he were to die."

"No! You can't do that. He hasn't-"

The man raised a hand. "But we're willing to let him go on his way so long as he doesn't know too much about you, and that you remain here with us."

Her chest tightened into a knot, fingertips tingling with fear. No escape, no other options, her only choice was to listen to the man. They had Rob, and he couldn't die, not for her. Her tiny claws bit into her palm.

"And if I stay, you'll let him go?"

The man smiled. "Of course. He'll be safe, and we can help you. You wont be a danger to him anymore."

"Why am I dangerous? Just because my brother killed someone doesn't mean I will." The room was dim, a blessing, but she still couldn't look at the man, tears polishing her eyes. Could she even trust this human's words?

"Haven't you noticed it? You're special. You have powers that a pokemon shouldn't have. All of your siblings did. We gave them to you."

"I don't want them." A thick tear released from her face and plopped against the thin carpet beneath her feet.

"You don't have to be scared. We're your family here. Even if you don't remember yet, we can help you. You're important to all of us." The man stood to walk around the table.

"Why?" Gardevoir flinched away from the arm that attempted to comfort her shoulder.

The man's voice became hungry. "You were blessed with a very special gift. You have a bond with the Creator. The power and wisdom of the being that created our world is locked within your mind. You can change everything, make the world better for every one of us, including your old trainer, and more importantly, yourself."

"You're wrong."

"It's true. You know it is. You have used this power before."

"That's not the Creator," Gardevoir whispered. "My power is evil. It lies to me."

His eyes gleamed, his voice a fevered whisper. "You talked to Him, spoke to Him directly?" Hands gripped her shoulders.

"Please," Gardevoir whispered. She wanted Rob. He would hold her, comfort her, tell her everything was okay. This man didn't care; and she could feel it. He wanted her power.

"I want to see Rob." The world seemed to ripple, a surge building within her, her will barely enough to hold it at bay. Power. It waited, called. It tried to speak to her, a desperate message. All she needed to do was listen.

The man's fingers dug into her shoulders. "He doesn't matter anymore. You said you would stay here, help us." He released her and returned to his desk but not to sit down. Light flickered to life on a small screen.

A mad light shone in the man's eyes. "You see this? This is what happens. This is what you're doing to him."

The screen showed Rob. Her trainer, her mate, sat in a chair between two men. The man to his left struck him, Rob's body thrown in the chair by the force of the blow.

"No." It called to her. A sweet song. The screen showed another blow. The man in the room with her spoke, but his voice didn't make a noise in the still room. Silence. Power. It called to her. Sang.

Nothing moved, only the black and white grains that showed men hurting Rob. Her mate. Her lover. Her fault. She couldn't protect him. Filth clung to her skin, her power useless. It sang.

Building, stretching, her mind assaulted by the beautiful temptation. Nothing mattered, not while they hurt Rob. She could scour the world with this song, turn it to ash, remove everything that would hurt her and her mate.

Gardevoir looked at the repugnant human that stood before her, black suit, crazed eyes, eyes that didn't understand when they should feel fear. Gardevoir yielded, filled herself with the song. Its deafening crash eroded her soul.

Gardevoir understood. Power laced her body and mind. The world melted before her very presence, the air rippling in a maelstrom around her, peeling back reality and replacing it with the chaos that was her being. Crimson bolts of energy arced from the fin on her chest. Her white gown flowed around her, fluttering in the immense power her body radiated. She understood.

The two pokemon behind her leapt at the first hint of the disturbance she created. She erased them from the world.

The man's eyes widened in terror. "No, you can't use your power in here. It's impossible."

"That pokeball doesn't belong to you." Gardevoir's psychic voice alone was almost enough to destroy the human's feeble mind. The pathetic being cringed away from her, clutching at his head. She couldn't stay here. Rob needed her, and her continued presence would break down the fabric of reality that held this world together. She understood now.

A commotion sounded on the other side of the door, but it didn't matter. Gardevoir focused, an insignificant amount of her power, and she snatched her pokeball with invisible hands and destroyed the building, teleporting before the steel and concrete crushed her beneath tons of rubble. These humans had grown too pervasive; they needed to be culled.

She appeared in the room where they hurt Rob. Finding them had been easy. Her mind could search the entire city in a heartbeat. They couldn't hide, not from her. The first died instantly. She flung him towards the wall. The force of her attack ruined his frail body before it even ruptured against the concrete, the noise of flesh and bone tearing drawing the attention of the others.

The Mightyena that had ambushed them before attacked. They had sided with the humans, and for that, would die as well. Gardevoir understood now, and she used her mind's infinite power to fuel her focus blast attack. Too much power.

A pair of legs, haphazardly connected by the mangled remnants of the creature's hips, skid along the floor beneath a pink mist. She refined her attack for the second one, a more clean death. Neither would have suffered. That honor was for the human that hurt Rob.

She spoke quietly as to not ruin his mind. "You were the one who hurt him, didn't you?" She floated above the floor towards where Rob's limp body slumped in the chair.

The man's eyes locked on hers, but his mouth flapped in a wordless, gurgling noise. He flinched at her mind's touch.

She felt him, understood him. A biological machine, her psychic powers following the connections between mind and flesh. She felt the true him, the flow of blood, electricity, the chemicals his body produced in response to seeing a true god before him.

"You hurt my mate." Her mind traced his nervous system in tandem with the electrical impulses that ran the human body. She filled each receptor capable of feeling pain with the searing hatred she held for the human scum.

The human screamed. Not in pain or in fear, but as if his body tried to tear itself apart rather than endure the sensation she fed it.

Gardevoir smiled and strode to her love. "This is my fault."

Rob stirred at her approach. Blood, vibrant and full of life dripped from parted lips. Skin swelled where the screaming man's fist had struck. "Gardevoir." It was a quiet whimper.

She placed her pokeball in Rob's lap and cupped her mate's face in green hands. "I couldn't protect you." Her voice spoke gently into his mind, overpowering the guttural screams that ripped themselves from the man's throat.

She watched the screaming human, tearing at his own skin with bloodied fingers in an attempt to stop the pain. It wouldn't stop. Pain would be the last experience the human had. Its screams began to quiet, throat torn and useless.

"I cleansed them from this world," Gardevoir told Rob. "They wont hurt you. I can fix all of them, the entire world so that we can be together. I'll make everything better."

The man on the ground made his final shuddering gasps, his heart unable to continue under the strain. He twitched and then lay silent on the concrete floor, blood oozing from the deep rends his fingers left.

Gardevoir pressed her lips to Rob's, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth, the miasma of power draining from her body. Her vision blurred. Life, knowledge, energy, it flowed out of her like a great river cut off from its source. She knelt before her mate, and lay her head in his lap. Her eyes closed.

* * *

"Gardevoir!"

That was Rob's voice wasn't it? Distant. She moved, or was moved, but all she wanted was rest. Her mind demanded it, plead for it. Such pain. Where was she?

"Gardevoir!"

She opened eyes, heavy eyes, eyes that didn't want to see. Someone, something had died. Somehow she knew that. "Rob?" Her vision blurred, but she didn't need to see to tell that it was her mate's lap she lay upon. The sharp tang of blood lingered in her mouth. Gardevoir looked up. Her eyes snapped open. "Rob, your face, what-"

"Stop." Rob rarely gave her commands, and never like this. His face. One eye swollen shut, his cheek cut and leaking a brilliant red.

Someone did this to him. Gardevoir would find out who and destroy them. Blood lay thick in the air. More than that small wound would leave.

"Gardevoir!" Rob's voice snapped her eyes back to that beaten face. "I need you to listen to me. Look at me."

Her voice shook. Anger and fear. "I'm looking at you. What-"

"Keep you eyes on me." Rob's voice echoed in the too still silence.

"Where are we? How did we get-"

The harshness in Rob's voice was the worst of it. "I need you to break the ropes tying my wrists. Do you understand?"

"Rob please. What's going on?"

"Do you understand me?"

"I-" She closed her eyes. Her claws dug into the front of Rob's shirt in an attempt to stop them from trembling, to hold to something firm and real. Rob. She felt the cord, her mind seeking out the weakness between the coiled threads. They snapped.

Before she could talk Rob's hand pulled her to him. Her face pressed against the rough fabric, held firm by Rob's tight grip. Rob's chest was warm, his heart pounding. The hand on the back of her head shook. His scent filled her mind along with the metallic odor of blood.

"I need you to take us away from here. As far as you can. Don't think, just get us away."

"What's going on? Please tell me."

Rob's grip tightened. "I need you to listen."

Gardevoir fell silent.

"Now get us away from here. Do you understand?"

Gardevoir tried to nod against his chest, her head held tight. There were no other sources of life within the building. She clung to Rob, her claws pricking soft human flesh, and the world around them shifted.

Pain. A whimper died against Rob's chest, the agony of her mind being ripped from her skull threatening to end her very existence. _Do you understand? _The words echoed, as heartless as when Rob spoke them. She pushed herself, and the world shifted again. _Take us away from here._ Again. Tears soaked into Rob's chest, but his grip held her. She fled without thought, Rob dragging at her mind's attempt to flee. There was only darkness, darkness and pain.

* * *

Asher stood atop the flat roof of one of Ecruteak's taller buildings. He still didn't know what to do. That creature was beyond anything he'd ever experienced. He had watched, or felt rather, while Alakazam relayed the information. Felt wasn't quite the word. That pokemon's mind had tried to crush him, her presence blanketing the city with such awesome power. No wonder Giovanni wanted the thing back.

"Can you follow it?" Asher asked his psychic companion.

The pokemon gave him a flat look. "Follow that abomination? Did you not feel the world scream at that thing's presence?"

Asher remained silent.

"I could follow it, but we would be fools to do so."

If only it were that easy. The phone in his pocket began to vibrate. "Sir."

Giovanni's cool voice responded from the other side. "I want to know what has happened."

"It didn't go well. Twelve confirmed dead, but they're still digging people out of the rubble. That pokemon brought down the entire building. The target is gone. Teleported. The two watching over the kid were also killed." Asher didn't know much more than that. What details came out of the twisted heap that used to be Team Rocket's headquarters were sparse, and Asher didn't have any intentions in visiting the scene himself.

"Follow it. I don't want that pokemon loose." the cool voice said, complete unconcern at the other news. "And I suppose I don't have to warn you further."

Asher hesitated, looking to Alakazam. "And if it notices us?"

"Then you'll be dead." The call cut out.

Alakazam did not look pleased. "Abandon this job. We have done enough at your insistence I try to fix that thing's shattered mind. You will kill the both of us."

Asher strode to the edge of the building to look out over the darkening city. "And what if we just leave that thing alone? What kind of destruction could it cause? How much are we to blame for that? Whether I follow Giovanni's orders or not, I don't think I can leave that thing to destroy entire cities."

"And why do you think we can stop it?"

"I don't. If you want to leave, I'll release you."

"You know I don't want that," Alakazam said, not moving from where he sat at the center of the roof. "But I will not let you kill yourself needlessly."

"Then we need to plan," Asher said, turning towards his friend. "And we need to move quickly before that monster disappears."


	17. Facets of God

Gardevoir groaned. Something dug into her back, and her head felt ready split open. The gentle sound of rustling leaves and the occasional call of a wild pokemon were the only reminders that a world existed around her. She shifted to avoid the object poking her in the back, and leaves rustled below her. She opened heavy eyes.

Green leaves, back-lit by the sun extended as far as she could see. Trees, old and wide indicated she was deep in a forest, far from where softwood trees would be able to grow. She sat up and looked around, trying to think. She had teleported here with Rob. Her eyes fell on Rob's pack. He had been hurt.

"Rob?" Gardevoir stood on unsteady feet, almost falling back to the ground, the earth seeming to move like water beneath her. Her head hurt, like something had been torn from her mind. Something felt missing.

No response, so she moved to the abandoned pack. Rob's belt lay strewn nearby, three balls still attached to it. Her own pokeball lay on the ground next to it, a faint smear of blood marring the white section. He wouldn't have gone far, not without them. Not without her.

"Rob?" And then she saw him, sitting against the wide base of a tree, knees pulled up to his chest and head in his arms. "Are you okay?" She spoke to his mind directly and moved closer.

Rob didn't raise his head, and his arms muffled his terse reply. "I'm fine."

Gardevoir's step faltered. "Are you sure?" She took another hesitant step closer and attempted to get a better look at his face. "Can I help?" Again, no reply. She knelt beside him. "Rob, please, I-"

"I said I'm fine," he snapped and looked up from his arms.

Gardevoir recoiled from the intensity of his voice, and the swollen purple flesh of his face. One eye couldn't open. Blood, both fresh and dry, marked his skin.

Rob stood. "I just- I can't- Just leave me alone."

Gardevoir watched her trainer, her mate, walk away stiff backed into the surrounding trees. She slumped. "I'm sorry," she sent in a weak voice. Not loud enough to intrude on his mind, but she squeezed her hands in hope that he'd turn around. _Please turn around_. He didn't.

Pain split her head, but it felt insignificant compared to every step taken away from her. Each footfall felt like a kick to the chest. Her insides burned hotter than any of the spicy human foods Rob had bought for her. She waked back to her discarded pokeball, the bloodstained sphere nestled in fallen leaves and dirt. She picked it up. It felt like it should scald her hand.

Rob had chosen her alone to protect him when they left the city. She couldn't even remember how she'd failed him. Rob probably hated her.

There had been humans in the street, two of them. And dark types, many dark types. Gardevoir shivered. They had spoken to her, and Rob had gone, and- Her head twisted, pounding, screaming. Her vision swam, and she didn't even remember letting the pokeball drop to clutch her head. She breathed, once again picking up the ball in shaking hands.

Rob's belt lay a few feet away, three near-identical pokeballs lay attached to the strip of leather. She thought about releasing Lucario, anyone to save her from being alone, but they were Rob's pokemon. She'd already done enough.

Three more slots adorned the belt, and Gardevoir picked it up. She didn't understand the fastener that held the balls in place, and her shaking hands didn't help. A tear splashed onto her fumbling fingers, another on the rust-colored blood. It didn't work, each time the ball just slid from its place. She tried to force it to lock, but the simple-looking object that bound her to Rob refused to stay.

Gardevoir let both pokeball and belt fall to the ground. She shuffled away from where Rob's belongings lay and curled up at the base of a tree. Her hands shook, but she tried to stop the tears that slowly trailed down her cheeks.

Why couldn't she remember? She wanted Rob. The bark was cold and rough against her skin, but she closed her eyes and hoped to wake in a different place.

* * *

A blanket covered Gardevoir when she woke, a small protection against the cold night. Firelight illuminated the dark surroundings enough to show Rob and the others sitting around it. A low light, the fire smaller than usual, barely reaching where she lay, a mere fifteen feet away.

Rob poked a smoldering branch into the flames, pushing glowing embers inside the ring of stones. They sat in silence.

Gardevoir sat up, the exhaustion she felt worse than when she had gone to sleep. Her stomach growled a plea for anything to temper the gnawing pain. At least her head felt a little better. A little. Gardevoir rose to her feet with the aid of the tree she had slept against. Her feet hesitated to bring her closer to the fire however. What if Rob didn't want her there? What if...

She took a step, careful, hesitant to not step on a dry twig or rustle the dead leaves that covered the floor. Gardevoir made it half way before Lucario's ears perked. The other three followed Lucario's gaze. Gardevoir froze. For a second her eyes met Rob's; the swelling looked better, but she dropped her gaze to the floor.

Gardevoir could barely manage the connection to speak. "Are you okay?" Her hands clenched into nervous fists awaiting a reply. She thought about running.

"There's food there if you're hungry." Rob didn't say anything more, only the grit of his stick against the embers made noise.

She didn't even check to see if Rob took his eyes off the fire. She couldn't. Her legs threatened to give out, but she turned and began to walk towards the edge of light, where the fire couldn't hold the night at bay. She stumbled. The back of her hand smeared a tear across her cheek, another fell from her other eye. A root snagged her foot. Gardevoir teleported.

She hadn't gone far, but far enough that the fire would show her pale skin or glistening cheeks. Gardevoir slammed her fist against the trunk of a tree. Pain shot through her hand at the blow, but she didn't care. She should have known. Anytime she was happy, someone suffered for it. It wasn't fair. A voice she hadn't heard in a long time sounded within her mind.

"You keep running," Abra said. "I lend you my support, and you still run."

"You," she snarled.

Abra smiled. "I've been thinking about what you've said Gardevoir. Maybe you're right. So when you asked, I decided to trust you. How did things work out?"

"Leave me alone. I don't know what you're talking about." She wiped her eyes, but it didn't help.

"If you trusted me, then we could make things better, instead of fighting one another. You want things to be better right? People shouldn't hurt Rob like that. You don't want him to get hurt right?"

"Shut up."

"You could protect him instead of hurting him."

"I'd never hurt Rob. Never."

"And who injured him exactly?"

Gardevoir froze. "I didn't do that to him. Someone else did."

"Of course."

Light blazed from her arm, a brilliant glow of blue and purple that bathed the surroundings. "Leave." Gardevoir released, blasting the area where Abra stood with as much psychic energy as her taxed mind could manage. The ground exploded in a shower of dirt and leaves. Abra no longer remained when the dirt settled.

"Gardevoir?" Lucario asked.

Gardevoir spun to see the faint silhouette of her friend standing there. If she had been paying attention, she would have felt Lucario approach.

"Is everything okay?"

Gardevoir ran to Lucario and collapsed onto her. She threw her arms around Lucario's muscled body and blue fur. "No." She shook. Strong arms returned the embrace.

"What happened?" Lucario whispered into her ear.

"I don't know." Gardevoir clung to Lucario in an attempt to steady herself. She squeezed the soft fur that covered her friend. "And Rob hates me."

"He doesn't hate you." Lucario stroked Gardevoir's hair.

"He won't even talk to me."

"He doesn't hate you." Lucario brushed a finger against the red fin on Gardevoir's chest before pulling away.

"Can we stay here for a bit? I don't want to go back yet."

"Sure."

* * *

By the time Gardevoir and Lucario got back to camp, the fire had burned to nothing but a pile of glowing ash, and the others were all asleep. A faint chill swept through the camp on a breeze, a hint of the latening season.

Quilava lay on the ground just inches from the rocks that Rob used to contain the fire. They would still be blistering hot to any but the fire type. Lucario went and poked him in the side, and giggled when he jerked awake.

Gardevoir left them and took a step towards the tent. Exhaustion almost dragged her to sleep right there on the barren ground, but she focused a trickle of psychic energy into her fin and reached out to Rob. She hadn't expected to find him awake.

She felt him, her mate. She'd sworn to protect him, yet his face still bore bruises she couldn't prevent. Despite what she expected though, love still glowed deep and warm below the chaos of everything else. Their emotions almost mirrored each others.

Gardevoir almost went inside the tent, but maybe he needed solitude. Lucario and Quilava spoke in hushed voices. She couldn't keep bothering Lucario with her problems. Instead she slunk back to the dead fire and curled up on the ground. The rocks still radiated a pleasant heat, and her eyes snapped shut as soon as her head came to rest on the loamy ground.

Periodically she checked on Rob with her psychic powers. Neither found sleep, no matter how tired.

* * *

Gardevoir groaned at the beam of sunlight shining through the leaves and across her face. However long it had taken to fall asleep didn't leave her with enough time to rest. She pushed herself up despite a deep longing to continue sleeping and brushed a few leaves from her skin.

Rob noticed her wake and offered a larger portion of food than normal. "Breakfast." He looked haggard, the skin around his eye still a dark purple, though no longer swollen shut.

She hadn't eaten last night. She sent a timid thanks, and then devoured her meal. After finally getting something to eat, she felt a bit of her strength return, and the dull ache that plagued her mind eased. From the vibrant glow of the leaves above, a cloudless sky hid above the thick canopy.

Eventually, Rob finished packing everything up. "Do you have any idea of where you brought us?"

Gardevoir shook her head, unable to meet his sunken eyes. She cringed at his sigh, an exhalation of his disappointment in her. As Rob set off, Gardevoir followed close enough behind that she could help in case he needed something. A mostly symbolic gesture; she hadn't been much help so far.

"Where are we headed?" Gardevoir asked.

Rob shrugged.

"Are we far from another city?"  
"I don't know," Rob snapped, and then said in a softer tone, "Sorry."

Gardevoir let her step lag slightly farther behind. "I'm sorry. I should have payed more attention, or gone somewhere else, I-"

"It's not your fault," Rob said but continued walking without breaking stride.

* * *

Each day in the endless, unchanging forest, Rob ate less, slept less. Fatigue darkened his eyes, pulled at his feet. He rose and packed up their simple camp early.

Rob handed out a sad-looking breakfast. "I've been keeping this from you, but there's not much point any more. We don't have much food left. I can put you into stasis for a day or so, but after everything's gone, well, it's hunting or starving."

"How long?" Lucario asked in her strange way of speaking, almost like Gardevoir, yet a much firmer mental voice.

"Two days." He'd never hunted before, and with as few pokemon as they'd seen, Gardevoir would probably have to kill. With her ability to teleport, she could be on top of a pokemon before it could react. He tried to force away the image of that Mightyena.

Gardevoir tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away. They'd barely spoken the last few days. Everything that had happened could be laid at his feet. But Gardevoir, the power she controlled, and what it did to her. He crushed his eyelids shut with the palms of his hands.

"We should get moving," Rob said, and they continued into the forest. _Gardevoir_.

The men who had taken him said they were Team Rocket, and they only seemed interested in him because of Gardevoir. He couldn't protect her, not from that. Not from anything apparently. In the end she had saved him once again.

Gardevoir would never hurt him, but she would hurt others for him. And she didn't hold herself back. He should talk to her, needed to, instead he kept walking.

Hunger, fatigue, each day a little more. They couldn't waste food. Nothing ever changed. The same wide trees, nearly branch-less before extending in a wide crest to block out the sun with large, hand-sized leaves. Easy hills, enough to annoy, yet not complaint worthy. They snaked through the trees, single file.

Rob froze at the bodiless voice entered his mind.

"Not many of your kind find their way out here." Similar to Gardevoir's telepathic speech, but different, more sure and playful.

Rob looked around. His other pokemon didn't move. "Gardevoir?" Rob moved to touch her still form, her eyes not even flickering at his voice.

"She can't hear you," a green pokemon said, floating through the air and approaching from the dense vegetation.

Rob gaped. "You're Celebi."

"That is the name your kind has given me." The pokemon floated closer. "But why are you here. And more importantly, why are you traveling with that?" Celebi's small finger pointed at Gardevoir.

Rob narrowed his eyes. "We're lost. And what do you mean, what have you done to my pokemon?"

"Lost?" Celebi cocked its head. "I stopped the flow of time from touching your pokemon so that I could speak with you. It is only temporary." Celebi floated to Gardevoir, inspecting the motionless pokemon closely. "She's dangerous."

"She isn't dangerous," Rob said, looking away from his lover.

"You don't believe that." Celebi brought its attention back to Rob and stared into his eyes. "I've seen humans like you before. Most don't approve, but you love her."

Rob blushed, but he didn't look away. "Does that matter?"

"Perhaps." The green creature's stare lingered, and the silence stretched.

Rob finally asked, "Why are you here?"

Celebi's voice held a musical quality, upbeat and as vibrant as the forests it protected. "You're interesting, Rob the human. And I've never seen one of these things live so long before. Usually they're lucky enough to die quickly."

"What are you talking about?" His right hand clenched.

"You've seen what she is. I can tell." Celebi floated to sit atop Gardevoir's head.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why doesn't everyone just leave the two of us alone?"

The wind picked up, rustling the leaves. Celebi listened as if the forest whispered to it, then spoke in its chipper telepathic voice. "Do you know of the human legend of the plates of Arceus?

"Sure. Arceus created sixteen plates that bound pokemon to this world. No one has ever seen them though. What does that have to do with Gardevoir?"

"They are real," Celebi said, perched atop Gardevoir. "Arceus could not leave them in this world though; they are too powerful. Instead he removed the plates from this reality and hid them away."

"Even if that's true, it has nothing to do with me or Gardevoir."

"The last human I told this to was much more interested in what I had to say." The wind picked up, and a few hand-sized leaves fluttered down amongst the two. "I guess it might be fair to say I'm the cause of your problems, in a way. The man I spoke to later created a group of humans that have done things they shouldn't have." Celebi shook its head. "Humans don't know what to do with knowledge. That's why we don't interact with your kind more."

He looked at Gardevoir's vacant expression. He knew his actions caused her sadness, but he didn't know how to fix things. "I still don't get it."

Celebi giggled. "Not very quick either."

Rob shot the pokemon a glare.

"Well, not all of you. The last person managed to find where Arceus hid the plates, in a way. The plates aren't a physical object, but more like a piece of Arceus himself, a fragment of his being that holds this world together. To exist in this world, they need to be held within one of his creations."

Rob followed Celebi's gaze to Gardevoir's face. He spoke in barely more than a whisper. "And that's what happened to Gardevoir? She contains one of these plates?"

Celebi's chiming laugh tickled Rob's mind. "Of course not. A plate contained in a single being would destroy the poor creature. But, the other human was much smarter than you, and found a way to force a connection between one of the plates and your Gardevoir. Very clever indeed. The original abomination they created allowed them to stabilize these newer creatures, though it wasn't a perfect fix."

Rob approached Gardevoir's motionless body. He touched the almost lifeless green skin of Gardevoir's arm. Soft, delicate hands that could hold him in the strongest embrace he'd ever known, and could just as easily make a man claw his own face off. "Why? Why would Arceus even allow something like this to happen?"

Celebi left its resting place to once again float around at eye level. "You humans have such interesting views on our creator. Arceus is not like us; Arceus is a God."

"So what then, what happens to her?" He gripped Gardevoir's three fingered hand.

"That's what's so interesting. The other creations died, or went insane and destroyed themselves. This one lived."

"She's not a creation; she's no different than anyone else. Why did you freeze her? Shouldn't she be hearing this as well?"

"I'll leave that choice to you, human." Celebi floated directly in front of Rob and locked eyes with him.

"I'll tell her. She deserves to know."

Celebi smiled. "Tell whoever you'd like. Gardevoir is likely being influenced by our creator though, and His voice will eventually overtake her own. Whether or not she knows it yet is a different story. Her willingness to fight or accept it might change if she learns the truth. Telling her could make your time together very short. Arceus is not the benevolent figure you humans worship. He is creation, nothing more."

"Then what was the point?" Rob asked. "Why tell me all of this, to make my decisions even more difficult?" He stepped back from Gardevoir and glared at the legend floating before him.

"So that you know the truth. I am partly responsible for that creature's abhorrent existence, so this is to ease my guilt. You might not know it, but you've brought her much more happiness than she should have found in this world. Your choices may not always be so easy. Continue east, and you will find more of your kind. You will not see me again." And Celebi left.

Nothing made a noise. No wild pokemon, no leaves rustling in the wind, the entire forest seemed to die with Celebi's departure. "That didn't help anything! How do I help her?" His shouts echoed in the stillness. Rob looked around, but a familiar voice entered his mind.

"Is something wrong?" Gardevoir asked.

Rob turned to her, large eyes partly obscured by green hair. "I'm sorry." He pulled Gardevoir against his chest in a tight embrace. "I've been an idiot. Sorry." Rob closed his eyes at Gardevoir's reciprocated touch, her arms slowly rising along his back. "Guys, could you give us a few minutes?"

His other pokemon dispersed, and Gardevoir backed away, her red eyes wide, and he could see the tension he caused in them.

Gardevoir's faint voice wavered. "You're afraid of me, aren't you?"

"Of course not." He tried to run a hand through her hair, but the slightest flinch gave him pause. He had to strain to hear her timid psychic voice.

"Back in the city. I hurt people, didn't I?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"I killed, didn't I?"

"It doesn't matter what happened." Rob once again touched her soft skin and pulled her into his chest.

Gardevoir let him, but her body shivered. "I swear I'd never hurt you, ever."

"I know."

"Never, no matter what. Please believe me. I didn't mean to." Gardevoir shook in Rob's arms and pressed her face against his dark-green shirt.

"I know." Rob kissed the top of Gardevoir's head and held her for a moment. "It's not fair what I've done to you and the others. Now I know that I can't protect you, and those people know my name and appearance. I-I don't know what to do. Even if we make it back. I don't know."

Soft fabric muffled Gardevoir's chuckle. "It's kind of silly don't you think? We aren't doing a very good job, trying to protect everyone without helping each other."

Rob smiled against her hair. "I guess not."

Gardevoir looked up, and pressed her lips to his. "I trust you completely." Deep and passionate, her voice clear even as her tongue pressed against Rob's.

Rob couldn't reply, but he didn't need to. Hair already tangled between his fingers, but he broke the kiss. Flushed cheeks, lips ever so slightly parted, her breath hot on his neck. Rob lead her to the base of a tree and sat down, guiding her into his lap.

"I met Celebi a few moments ago." Rob wrapped his arms around Gardevoir, in part to silence her quiet whine, and in part because he couldn't keep his hands off her. The patter of her heart danced barely out of synch with his, their chests drumming a chaotic beat.

"When? We haven't seen any other pokemon the entire time we've been in the forest."

"It froze you and the others in time, or something like that."

"Why?" Gardevoir had taken one of his hands and played with it in her six-fingered grip.

Rob stroked her belly lightly with his free hand. "I don't know, but he said that we'd make it back to a town or something if we keep going east."

"The Forest Guardian appeared to you just to say that?"

"Well, no, it said a few other things, but nothing important."

Gardevoir's shoulders slumped. "You're hiding something from me. Something important, I can feel it."

"It's not important. It doesn't matter." Rob pulled Gardevoir closer, thought their distance seemed to increase.

"If it doesn't matter than why not just tell me? Is it about me, or do you not trust me?"

"Neither. I meant it when I said it's not important. If this is important to you though, I'll tell you."

Gardevoir nodded. Her gown flowed around them, Rob's arms snug around her middle. The warm breeze stirred her green hair to tickle Rob's neck.

Rob sighed. "Team Rocket, the men who attacked us in Ecruteak, they're the ones who gave you whatever power you can use, and they want you back. They were after you in Ecruteak."

"So it's my fault." Gardevoir slumped further in Rob's arms.

"Of course it isn't. They did this to you; You've done nothing wrong."

"It doesn't make any sense though, I remember-" Gardevoir trailed off.

"Well maybe someday you can get the chance to ask them, but for now," Rob cupped Gardevoir's face in a hand and pulled her in for a quick kiss, "we should probably get going. The others are right out of sight, aren't they."

Gardevoir nodded. "And you think they would tell us?"

"Let's just worry about getting out of the forest for now." Rob raised his voice. "You guys can stop pretending to be somewhere else now." He shook his head at the three sets of eyes that peered around a wide trunk, and he waved them over. Two days of food left. They would make it.

And Gardevoir. He didn't like hiding things from her, but what might telling her the truth do? If Gardevoir found out he hid information from her, would she force him to tell? And even if not, what did her connection to Arceus and the plates mean?

No, Celebi hadn't helped anything. They would figure it out regardless. There had to be a solution.

* * *

Gardevoir walked with the others, a few steps behind Rob to discuss their visit by the Forest Guardian. Even the faint sunlight that reached through the leaves made her feel like dancing once again. She could tell that Rob still held something back from her, but maybe it was something unimportant. What he did admit to wasn't unimportant though.

"Did he say if the humans would still be looking for you?" Sandslash asked.

Gardevoir shrugged. "You were right there listening; you heard everything I did."

"Not me, those two." He pointed at Lucario and Quilava, who walked on Gardevoir's left.

"Considering you don't like Rob very much, you keep a close eye on him, Lucario. I might get jealous."

"I keep a close watch over any humans around me. And besides, humans are interesting. They do such strange things all the time, especially when they mate."

"And how would you know." Color crept up Gardevoir's cheeks, and she could almost feel Lucario's smile.

Sandslash sighed. "And you've left me alone with these two lately."

"Oh you like us," Lucario said.

They walked together in silence for a time. Yellow began to creep into some of the leaves despite the relative warmth of the last few weeks. Gardevoir liked the colors that Fall brought, a small comfort against the chill nights. Maybe it would feel different now, her and Rob, wrapped up in one of the blankets. The memories of nights on the dirt floor, shivering to sleep against Abra seemed so desperate.

Lucario took a quick step ahead and turned to walk backwards, facing the others. "So, Sandslash. Have any thoughts on what Rob's next pokemon should be? Another Sandshrew, or maybe a cute little Mawile?"

"I already had a mate. A human captured her over a year ago now. That's why I tried so hard to get myself captured, in hopes that I'd be able to find her again."

Lucario stumbled in her backwards gait. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I've never asked about it before."

Sandslash shook his head. "It's okay. It was a long time ago now." He smiled. "I doubt she'd even recognize me anymore, and she's probably evolved herself." He held up two long claws.

Gardevoir couldn't imagine being separated from Rob. "I'm sure if we told Rob, he might be able to help, or maybe try to find something out?"

Again Sandslash dissented. "He has enough to worry about. Besides, if she's found a group like this, then maybe it's for the best." A smile ghosted his face.

"I-" but Lucario fell back into step beside them and snatched Quilava from the ground and hugged him tight, careful to avoid impaling him. Quilava groaned, but his smile betrayed him.

"You shouldn't give up," Gardevoir sent privately.

"I haven't, but if it wasn't meant to be, well, things could have turned out worse."

Trees with wide, rough bark and large, wide leaves, on and on. Too many to count in one spot, let alone all the ones they already passed, with no end in sight. Her stomach growled at her to find food, but she knew Rob wouldn't giver her any more. He put on an optimistic show, but she could still feel the tension in his voice every time he had to hand out their meals.

She could imagine the stars beginning to illuminate the sky above, but the trees blocked out everything, all light. It reminded her of the cave at times, and when Rob called the end of the day, she couldn't wait for a fire.

Next to the crackling flames, Gardevoir slid up against Rob's side. "We'll get out of here soon."

Rob placed an arm around her. "Yeah, I know." He stared into the circle of rocks and burning twigs they'd gathered. "Do you still hate humans?"

"I like you." Gardevoir placed her head against his shoulder.

"But what about the others, the ones we've met, or the ones that attacked us?"

"I hate some of them. I-I don't want to kill them, but." She too glanced into the flames. What would she do if she ever met their attackers again?

"But you would, wouldn't you?"

An icy tendril bore into her and filled her stomach with apprehension. "No, I wouldn't, not if you didn't want me to, I'll do whatever you think is best." She grabbed onto the front of his shirt, lightly digging in her claws.

"And if I don't know what's best?"

Psychic energy flowed into the fin on Gardevoir's chest, and she allowed herself to feel Rob's emotion. She shuddered; negative emotion felt like touching oil. Thick, viscous, like it clung to everything it touched and couldn't be scrubbed away. "You will."

* * *

Lucario smiled across the fire at Rob and Gardevoir. Their auras, while still troubled, had begun to heal. She didn't like it when the aura of those around her suffered. It always felt like the beginning of a sickness. Gardevoir still spent too much time with Rob though. She knew it bothered Quilava, at least a little.

"Did you guys feel anything when you were about to evolve?" Quilava asked.

"You've already done it once." Sandslash sat with his back to the fire.

Lucario smiled to herself.

"I was preoccupied at the time, if you remember."

"I try not to." Sandslash yawned.

Lucario knew the story behind Quilava's evolution, crazed pokemon swarms. Unnatural. Sometimes squeezing him too tightly brought back memories of snakes, not that it stopped her, but she could understand. Feeling constricted put her on edge too.

She buried the thought. "Anxious?" She ran a teasing finger from the top of Quilava's head and down his back. She could feel his body quiver.

"Only so that I can stop you from picking me up like a plaything," but small sparks of flame danced beneath his fur. More warmth radiated from Quilava than the fire.

They could mate now, but she was content to wait. "And maybe you'll be able to give Sandslash a real fight again."

He shot a tiny jet of flame in her direction.

Sandslash laughed. "But seriously, get a move on it. She's starting to get unbearable."

Lucario smiled at the pair's laughter. She would never have imagined any of this, especially not after being almost pressed into joining a human. She had even evolved, and not forced like she'd seen happen to her older sister.

* * *

Wild shadows spread from the dying coals of the fire. Gardevoir could barely make out the three that sat across the small stone circle anymore.

Rob retracted his hand from around Gardevoir. "I'm going to bed." More than a statement.

Gardevoir followed him into the tent. In the darkness, all she could see were faint shadows, Rob's pack in the corner, movement as Rob removed his shirt. Soft blankets padded the root-strewn forest ground on which the tent stood. She crouched in the low tent, gown rustling.

Rob gripped her in a hug, almost desperate, and lowered them to the ground. His bare chest warm and solid, at odds with the hopeless embrace.

Gardevoir had nothing to offer him. She relied on him the whole time. She didn't have any answers either. The only gesture she could offer was a human one. Gardevoir snuggled up to Rob, face in the crook of his neck, lips to soft, warm skin. A kiss, a strange thing, but one that could bury worry, pain: better than an answer.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stop thinking about it. The closer we get, the more I want to just stay here."

Gardevoir touched his chest, felt his heartbeat, his ribs as they rose and fell, smooth skin. "We can worry tomorrow." Her breath condensed on his skin, hot, damp. Earthy from the forest, musky from being him, Rob. She lay half atop him, and pressed a covered breast against him.

"Not tonight. The others are right outside, and with everything else – I don't think I have the heart for it."

Gardevoir dragged the tips of her claws down his side. "Liar," she whispered and rubbed a leg lightly between his.

Rob chuckled. "I could alleviate some of this tension for you if you wanted." His hand deftly found the split in her gown, cupping, touching, teasing.

Gardevoir squirmed, half at his touch, half for him to touch more. "You're no fun." She turned away from Rob. An arm pulled her back.

"Once we get back to town, we're going to rest, eat the most expensive food I can find, and then I'll find us someplace where we can see the sky, and I'll make everything up to you. We can take as long as you'd like. You deserve a break."

"I don't need anything special."

"Sure you do." Rob kissed her shoulder.

Gardevoir smiled and closer her eyes to Rob's warm breath on the back of her neck. Sleep approached more quickly than it had in days.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Gardevoir found herself in the pallid interior of Rob's home. "What do you want with me again so soon, or do you just feed off happiness?"

"You came here; I didn't bring you. Maybe you don't like being happy" The creature lounged on the counter, head just below the ashen wood cabinets, back to the wall.

Gardevoir glared at him. Nothing good ever came from these visits. "Why is it only when I dream?"

"The creature that carved up your mind didn't want you to come here directly. He wasn't very thorough though."

The red door, the front door to Rob's house in real life. She walked to where it had been, ran a hand against where the door met the wall. It felt completely smooth.

"I hid it for you." Abra appeared at Gardevoir's side.

"Why?"

"Without lending you my power, it would destroy you."

"Why not give up your power to me then?"

Abra laughed. "It would scour your pathetic mind."

"Well at least you've become forthcoming." Gardevoir turned from the door and walked upstairs. The last time she'd been up there, the red door opened, or she opened it. Hardwood stairs looked burnt and remade, the polished brown closer to the light gray of ash int this place. Pictures showing a younger Rob with two older humans looked sickly and drained.

She reached the top. She'd never been here in reality, yet the details were immaculate, a flower patterned vase with a bouquet of plastic flowers, more pictures, an open door that lead to an open field and cloudless sky overhead. She looked, but didn't step through the doorway. A Gardevoir and Gallade stood in the field.

"Fake." Abra said. "Though quite impressive."

"What is this place?"

"The boundary. This place connects your mind to the world around you. It's what allows you to influence the world with your mind, the source of your psychic abilities."

"The red door?"

Abra beamed. "Allows you to touch the fabric of the universe directly. You can change anything and everything."

Nothing the creature said surprised Gardevoir. "Why are you telling me this now, after everything else?"

"If you're not going to do anything here, you should sleep. You'll need your strength."

Gardevoir looked down at Abra, and her vision began to fade. Darkness crept in from every direction, slowly, fading, weightless. "What could I do here?" but the emptiness consumed her words.

* * *

Morning passed Gardevoir by in a blur. She barely remembered eating, though that could be because there wasn't much to eat.

By midday, after days of monotony, a break appeared. A tall but thin tree with papery bark broke up the wide behemoths they'd traveled through. Gardevoir examined the oddity when she heard Rob laugh.

"That's a lake!" He ran ahead.

After a quick look to the others, they chased after him. Sure enough, the trees thinned, and an expansive lake spread out before them. By the time Gardevoir caught up, Rob spun around and pulled her into a hug, laughing.

"It's the Lake of Rage. We made it!" Rob gave her a quick kiss and peered off across the smooth water. "We're on the wrong side, but I think we can make it back to Route 43 before it's dark."

Gardevoir smiled at Rob, his back straighter, his shoulders no longer slumped. At last. She almost pulled Rob into a dance with her. And one step closer to that promise. Rest.

* * *

"Sir, we've detected a trainer on the north-west section of the lake. He seems to have come out of the forest up there. Our sensors didn't pick him up leaving the city or traveling along the west bank."

"Didn't we have an agent tracking the Ecruteak trainer in that area? Get confirmation, but prepare the weapon. If that's our Gardevoir, we might just have gotten ahead of schedule."

* * *

A/N: Concrit and reviews are much appreciated. Your honest opinion helps me improve my writing.


	18. To Ash

Gardevoir couldn't help but smile. "I thought you wanted to get there before dark?"

Rob lay on the muddy, grassy bank of the lake. "We will." He ruffled Quilava's fur, who had leaped on Rob's chest before he'd finished lying down. Small footprints lead from Quilava to where Sandslash examined the water from a short distance.

Not that she wanted to rush, but, well, maybe she'd gotten a little too used to human comforts. Lucario stood up to her shins in the lake, staring intently into the glassy surface, so Gardevoir went to her. "See something?" The muddy sand squished beneath her feet.

Lucario spoke softly. "Something bad is about to happen."

Gardevoir let out a nervous laugh. "What are you talking about? We made it."

"The aura here – something is wrong." An almost pained expression softened the angular lines of Lucario's face, and she turned to face Gardevoir.

"What do you mean? Shouldn't you tell Rob?"

A sphere of light appeared in Lucario's hand. Gardevoir had seen her use the attack before, but instead of the pale, perfectly spherical ball of energy, a crackling misshapen blob hovered in Lucario's palm. With a light flick, Lucario sent the sphere hurtling out across the lake.

The sphere exploded in an enormous plume of water, and even Lucario jumped back.

"What did you do?" Gardevoir started back. The pillar of water crashed down in a mist to reveal a red-scaled monster. Droplets like blood ran down its crimson scales before it let out a scream that reverberated in Gardevoir's chest.

Rob sat up. "Guys?"

Gardevoir couldn't take her eyes from the beast, or move for that matter. She'd heard of Gyarados before, but no pokemon could be that large. It towered above the water, tall enough to match some of the shorter trees. Its powerful tail could extend endlessly below the water for all she knew.

"That poor thing, its aura, something must have done this to it." Lucario stood wide-eyed, mouth slightly agape.

With another roar, the Gyarados thrashed, sending a spray of water toward the beach. Gardevoir threw her hands up to block the cascade, but a light, pure white, except where the haze of water fractured it into a fountain of colors, shone brighter than anything Gardevoir had seen in her life. Through squinted eyes, she forced herself to look.

Maw spread wide, the Gyarados could have swallowed the entire group, but instead it filled its mouth with light. A second sun, far brighter than the one in the sky, scoured any hint of shadow from the trees behind, and even Rob didn't cast a shadow where he sat with a growling Quilava in his lap.

Gyarados stared right at them. Sandslash, Quilava. Rob.

"No!" Gardevoir threw herself into a dive, then teleported. The momentum carried through, and her shoulder caught Rob square in the chest. Her small weight threw him to the ground. She felt Quilava beside her too, but she ignored him, ignored Rob, ignored Lucario's scream. Nothing mattered but the veil of pale light that she placed around them.

Even through eyes squeezed shut, face buried in Rob's chest, she could see the light. Blinding, consuming, pure, like a perfect white room, no escape. Blistering heat, not the heat of a fire, but the heat of annihilation. It didn't burn, it erased.

Gardevoir felt Quilava struggling against her and the barrier, heard him yelling, but she couldn't acknowledge him. Rob too spoke in a frantic tone, but only the thinnest thread of concentration stopped the beam of destruction from wiping all three of them from existence.

"Gardevoir!" Rob shook her.

The heat, the noise, she hadn't even noticed that the attack ended. "Rob are you okay?" She let the shield dissipate. The air felt hot and carried the sharp scent of ozone.

Quilava growled. "You just left him to die." Steam rose from a wide trench of molten dirt and sand left by the monster's attack.

The skin on Gardevoir's back felt raw, as if burned. "I-" She turned. The red Gyarados screamed in a rage, mist rising from the waters around it. Air distorted above the superheated ground.

"He died. It killed him." Abra stood on the other side of the melted ground from where Gardevoir lay atop Rob. He seemed solid, almost as real as in the dream. "You did leave him."

Her head spun, Quilava growling accusations, jets of flame erupting from his back. Rob, talking, trying to untangle himself from beneath her to see what was happening. And Abra, that smile, look of expectation. Roaring, heat, Lucario, no Sandslash. "No," she whispered. Power surged within her, but she rebuffed it, forced herself to control it.

Light began to collect once again in the creature's mouth. She couldn't hold it off again. For some reason she couldn't understand a word Rob said, his eyes searching hers, hands on her shoulders.

"You must."

The hair on the back of her neck prickled in anticipation of the strike. She had no other options but to open her mind. The power to save, to protect, flooded her.

Save and protect. Gyarados struck. Space distorted around the immense shield Gardevoir threw between herself and the attack. Taller and wider than a human house. It didn't falter as the beam struck. Lightning arced from the surface, and a psychic wind emanated from Gardevoir, sending her gown fluttering about her.

She stared at the creature with a cold expression. "Abomination!" she called out to the thing. Gardevoir stepped forward onto the molten ground, but her powers shielded herself from the heat. She could fix things. The particles that made up Sandslash remained, she felt them, floating in the air, dispersed in the wind, but she could put them back. The world around her warped.

"Get out of my way," Quilava snarled and ran past.

"Don't interfere, runt." Her words halted the fire type, but flames roared across his back.

"Don't you dare speak to me. You might as well have killed him yourself." Quilava turned back to face the thrashing Gyarados.

Gardevoir batted him aside with a flow of psychic energy and caged him in an ethereal prison. She should have destroyed the useless thing. Energy pulsed within her like a second heartbeat. Intoxicating energy that begged for release, and her mind expanded to understand how to use the limitless power.

She plucked the red Gyarados from the water and squeezed. Invisible hands crushed the enormous serpent, and she could see the fear in its violet eyes. It roared and squirmed, spraying water in every direction as she pulled it from the lake.

"Die." Gardevoir smiled, and twisted the creature in half. A snap like a tree bursting in winter rent the air, and the beast screamed. It emptied into the lake, and Gardevoir dropped its thrashing tail, a red stain spreading from beneath the flailing creature.

The half-Gyarados screamed in her tightening psychic grip, but fell silent when she crushed the air from its lungs. Tighter. Emotion began to seep through the buffering coldness her power provided. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Sandslash. With a scream of fury, Gardevoir crushed the remains of the monster, its scales tearing apart, bones ripping through its ruined body. She fell to her knees panting.

"Do not rest." Abra stood before her.

Her body shook. Red on white. Blood, droplets marred her gown from the creature's thrashing. Exhaustion and realization crashed into her.

Lucario struck the ground to her right, tumbling and skidding to a halt. She didn't rise.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Rob shouted.

"So I finally get to meet the one I've spent so much time worrying over." The man had a confident voice and sure step.

Gardevoir tried to fight off the overwhelming fatigue that dragged at her. She swayed on her knees. "Who are you?" She didn't even notice Rob tied up in psychic bonds.

Abra hissed. "Destroy him. You must fight."

"Can't-" Gardevoir fell forward, barely able to catch herself on her hands. The power drained just as suddenly as it had fueled her.

Abra brought his face right up to Gardevoir's. "He'll capture you."

Her eyes fluttered.

"He'll kill Rob. You already let one of your friends die today."

Tears filled her eyes. "I can't."

"Then surrender. Surrender to me and I can help you."

"How?"

"Open yourself to me." Abra placed a hand to her head. She felt a pressure against her mind, something foreign and powerful.

"Let me help you."

Gardevoir let her face strike the muddy ground. She clutched at her head. She had to. She had already failed. A shuddering gasp filled her chest and a presence gripped her mind. She no longer controlled her body, and she could no longer sense her psychic powers. The world around her faded as she felt her body rise.

* * *

"Wake up, Gardevoir." The voice didn't come from anywhere in particular. It seemed almost a part of her. "There's a human who wishes to speak with you."

A human scrambled away at her feet, not away from her, but towards a fallen Alakazam. Dirt covered his torn clothing,and blood leaked from the corner of his left eye. One of his arms hung uselessly at his side. "Alakazam, come on. Get up." Blood ran from the unconscious pokemon's ears and mouth.

"Get up, dammit." The man stroked his pokemon's head in an incongruously gentle manner.

Gardevoir advanced, or her body did. She tried to stop her feet from moving, but her body didn't falter. She tried to speak, and once again, her body didn't respond.

"Fine. Don't even speak to me, monster. Kill me, but let Alakazam go. I forced him to do this, and you've proven he's no threat to you. Just let him go." He spat, more blood than spit.

Gardevoir saw the pain the man's injuries caused him, though she didn't have access to her psychic abilities. _Why show me this?_

"Well?" the man gasped, but he moved to shield his pokemon's body with his own.

"He asked. I can destroy them both. They won't bother you or your friends ever again."

Gardevoir looked down at the human, already on the edge of death. He'd likely die out here, and she couldn't tell the Alakazam's condition, though it looked grave. But she looked at the human, despite the hatred burning in his eyes. _Don't do it._

"You're still weak." His voice rang like a mocking laugh in her own body. She could feel her powers being used, though in such a complex manner she could never emulate. Her powers dug into the man's mind, causing him to groan and crumple to the ground.

_What are you doing?_ Before she could try to seize control of her body once more, a psychic signature blazed within her mind, that of a living creature.

"Find this," the voice said, and her powers once again struck out at the human. "Now I will make sure this man doesn't interfere with you again."

The man writhed on the ground, his good hand clutching at his head. Gardevoir tried to regain control, to stop this, but she could already feel herself slipping back into the darkness. _Let the pokemon live. Please._

"Rest now. Sleep."

* * *

No sign of Abra or the human and his pokemon remained when she woke on the ground of the forest. A pulsating pain clawed at her mind, but she didn't feel the fatigue she normally did after being overwhelmed by her powers. She felt as if she forgot something important, something major.

She sat up. Where were Rob and the others? Sandslash. Concentrating, Gardevoir searched with her mind. The pokeball wouldn't have let her gone far, unless it had been destroyed. Unless Rob had been killed.

_Idiot_. She could still feel the link to her pokeball, and a quick search located Rob and the other two not far to the east. The residual energy of her fight glowed like a beacon, and she teleported to the beach.

"Rob!" Gardevoir appeared just feet from him, and threw her arms around him.

He looked gaunt, but uninjured. "Gardevoir," he said, returning the embrace. "I thought I-" Rob squeezed her tightly, and the pair of them held them embrace for a long time, the sun beginning to set behind them.

A cold, hard voice called across the quiet beach. "You." Typhlosion bore down on her. No longer quick and lithe, muscle covered his new body, and large, powerful limbs smoldered with crackling fire.

Gardevoir stepped away from Rob. "Oh, um, congrat-"

Flames burst from Typhlosion's mouth, hot enough to force Gardevoir back despite the fire missing by more than a foot.

She gasped and created a barrier to protect herself. "What?"

"You killed Sandslash." The barrier halted Typhlosion's advance, but he placed his snout right up against the translucent wall. Sparks of flame leapt between the fur that stood on end, making him appear even larger.

In her surprise, Gardevoir let the barrier fail. "No-"

Typhlosion's fist threw her to the coarse sand. "You let him die." Loud cracks accompanied the sparks shooting from his fur, the heat his body radiated increasing to an uncomfortable blaze. He ignored Rob's shout of alarm.

Gardevoir coughed from the blow to her chest. The sand scraped her, but his words angered her far more than the pain. "Me?" she growled into his mind, her fists shaking with fury. I saved your pathetic life while you cowered on top of Rob." She pushed herself back to her feet.

"Save me? You stopped me from trying to help!" He spat at her.

Emotion she'd been trying to bottle up escaped from her tenuous grasp. "And do what, die as well? You're too weak to help anyone!"

"Then at least I would have died trying to help the people who considered me a friend!" His shouts echoed off the calm water.

Gardevoir spoke with her true voice, anger clouding her psychic abilities. "I'm the only reason you're still alive."

"Only because it was convenient to you. You didn't think of me or Sandslash."

"I-"

Typhlosion spoke right over her. "You let Rob get attacked when he trusted you to protect him, but you made it out completely fine. You get us lost without food. Then you murder one of the few people you manage to trick into calling you a friend without a damn care!"

Gardevoir recoiled, but Typhlosion didn't relent, walking up so their faces almost touched. "I'd torch you right here if I didn't know how good you were at saving yourself." With that, he spun and stalked back down the beach.

The tirade left Gardevoir stunned. A familiar voice echoed in her mind. "You could have saved him."

She looked to Rob. While he wouldn't have been able to understand most of their yelling, he probably could have figured out the gist of it. "I did the best I could," she whispered.

"I know." It sounded forced. Rob didn't take his eyes off the ground.

It wasn't her fault, none of this was. _It is._ Tears stung her eyes, and she made her way to the large swath of beach that Gyarados had turned to glass. The surface had cooled since the fight, and Gardevoir stepped onto the smooth, slightly warm glass. She sat at the edge of the Rob-sized oval where her barrier had protected them. Typhlosion was wrong.

* * *

A soft wind rustled Lucario's fur, and tiny waves reached for the large toes of her feet where she stood at the edge of the water. So much negative energy. Even watching Typhlosion walk towards the edge of the forest, the last of his fury seemingly drained from him, made her want to curl up and sleep until this all washed over. But it never would, not truly. Not this time.

They all hurt, but Typhlosion took Sandslash's death the hardest. His aura burned with fury and sorrow. She had to go to him. No one should be alone with that much grief. With an effort, she forced her features to a mask of gentle calm. After a few minutes to let him cool off a little, she chased after him.

The forest completely blocked any view of the beach and lake, even though they were only a minute's walk past the treeline. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Typhlosion sat against a tree, the bark beneath his back charred and blackened from the temperature of his body. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could see faint trails of steam rising from the corners of his eyes in the failing light. He didn't answer her.

Sighing, she lowered herself against him, wincing slightly at the sheer heat of his body. She sat across his lap and placed her chin in the crook of his neck.

Typhlosion spoke quietly, his mouth inches from her sensitive ears. "We were supposed to fight. When I evolved, we were going to fight, so I could show him that he only won because he reached his final evolution first. I took too long."

Lucario grabbed a fistful of fur in each hand and squeezed him tight. The words she'd planned to say died on her tongue. What could she say to that?

"And when we should have stood together, I watched him die."

Lucario gave her friend a few short licks on his muzzle while speaking to him through aura. "I know this probably isn't the right time, but – I need to tell you something." She felt Typhlosion stiffen slightly in her arms. "Don't worry," she cooed.

"Before Rob found me, I'd grown up in captivity by humans. My mother belonged to a pokemon breeder, one that specialized in rare pokemon." Her words sounded hollow, even to her. Talking about her past didn't bother her like it once did, when she'd told Kirlia.

"Lucario have very few female pups, so the humans consider us valuable, to breed as well as for trophies. They used my mother to breed." Her voice grew colder.

"They caged my siblings in the same room, forced to watch as males fought over my mother for the first mount. My brothers were sold, but most humans only wanted females. They killed the ones who didn't sell. I watched my owners do it."

"I'm-"

Lucario cut him off by placing a thick padded finger across his lips. "Just listen, please." She stroked his cream-colored neck, getting lost in his warmth before closing her eyes and continuing. "I managed to escape because of a mistake my owner's daughter made. I ran, too scared to try to help any of the others, afraid of my mother, who resented me, and any of the males who might have been my father."

Lucario breathed in the warm scent of her friend, and the char from the tree. She squirmed a little closer in his lap, and smiled as his arms slid along her back. "I swore that I'd get strong enough to go back there. And I swore that I'd never take a mate."

Lucario whispered in his ear, "It took a lot to change my mind." She moved more deliberately in his lap this time, pressing herself against the burning heat of Typhlosion's broad chest. "I'd be honored to have you take me as a mate."

A liquid warmth of aura poured from Typhlosion, breaking through the twisting, jagged despair. A temporary surge before a thick layer of doubt, an oily slick, contaminated it. His fur cooled slightly. "I'm not strong enough to protect a family."

"Insecurity isn't a desirable trait in a mate, you know."

"But-"

Lucario quieted him with a lick at his angular jaw. "I bet you'd surprise yourself." His hot, musky scent burned a heat of its own. "Now," she whispered into Typhlosion's ear, "before you say something foolish." A cool breeze curled through the trees, inconsequential compared to the haze Typhlosion surrounded her in.

She sank lower into his lap until she could feel him pressing against her. The fur atop his head parted smoothly beneath her fingertips, his muscles tensing with her every teasing movement. "I don't have to explain this too, do I?"

* * *

The warmth from the glass Gardevoir sat on made her shiver. Each time they counted on her, she hesitated. If she'd just used her powers to begin with, Sandslash might still be alive. Rob may have never been injured. Without her, they'd never have been put in this position.

Rob sat hunched over and cross-legged on the beach, rolling a pokeball around in his hands. He hadn't said anything to her since earlier, and she hadn't wanted to bother him.

Maybe Sandslash would return to taunt her. No, whatever that thing was, it already had a face to hide behind. It didn't need another. And the last few times it visited her, she felt a strange kinship to the creature, like they were somehow connected, like he belonged. What had caused the change?

In the distance, a surge of powerful emotion radiated from her friend and Typhlosion, but she tried to force her mind to ignore it. She would _not _intrude, even if Lucario did. And Typhlosion could be miserable for all she cared. She knew it was her fault, he didn't need to tell her.

A hollow voice broke her from her brooding. "We should probably head towards town. Even if we only get an hour or two of traveling."

Gardevoir shook her head. "You might want to let the others be for now."

He paused as if to argue, but sat down on the edge of the glass beside her. A finger's width separated the two of them, close enough she could feel the heat from his body.

"You don't regret anything, do you?"

"I didn't used to. I have plenty of regrets now, but-" Rob snuck an arm around her back and pulled her close. "Some things I wouldn't change."

The strange silence from their surroundings seemed appropriate. Soft late-afternoon light shimmered off the slab of glass. Gardevoir wrapped her thin arms around Rob's middle. "Do you blame me?" She waited for him to answer, focusing on his emotions.

"No." None of Rob's emotions indicated he lied.

"I could have saved him if I'd been faster."

"Don't. Things have to change." Rob pulled her tight in an unsteady grip. "Dammit, Gardevoir they have to." His voice wavered. The pair of them sat for a long time.

Eventually, Rob broke the embrace. "I need to do something before we leave." Rob stood and walked towards the forest, returning with a broken branch. He stepped down into the hole in the glass and began to dig out a small pit roughly the size of a pokeball.

Gardevoir spoke aloud from where she watched at the lip of the hole. "I'll fix this." Rob wouldn't be able to understand her words, but it was a promise, whether he knew it or not. Those men who did this to her, to Rob, to Sandslash, she wouldn't allow them to continue. The creature that impersonated Abra helped her twice already, and she had a feeling he could help her do much more.

* * *

Lucario breathed deeply to slow her pounding heart. Typhlosion's tongue bathed her neck, and she gladly let him continue, his body covering her protectively. Nothing could ruin the indescribable happiness she felt at that moment.

"Are you okay?" Typhlosion asked, almost as breathless as she felt.

She whined quietly at the loss of his touch. The warmth he'd left in her seemed to burn within her belly. "It wasn't my time, but soon, if you want young-" She trailed off and nuzzled into his chest, acclimating to his intense heat. They'd have to sneak into the lake before returning to camp after the mess he'd made of her.

Typhlosion blanketed her with his body, wrapping around her tightly. "You know I would. I-I don't know what Rob will think though."

"What happened to that insistence from a few minutes ago?"

An embarrassed burn rekindled in Typhlosion. "I didn't mean-"

She quieted him with a chuckle. "I can be very persuasive if he thinks anything different."

"You shouldn't be so hostile to him."

"I'm just teasing. I know he – means well. Besides," Lucario ran her hands down Typhlosion's body and nipped gently at his throat. "Could you really keep yourself off me?"

With a growl, Typhlosion rolled on top of her. "I don't think you'd let me."

She wiggled her body against his. "You learn quickly."

A weight seemed to return to Typhlosion, and he sagged against her. "I know what you're trying to do, and I just wanted to thank you. I don't deserve it."

"No? Well then I guess I should be leaving then." She gave a playful push against him, but the complete lack of fight made her change course. Maybe she'd gone too far. "Stop. You may be a fool at times, but you're not weak, and not an idiot. If it had been you to die, Sandslash would have made sure to comfort his friend's inconsolable would-be mate." Lucario grabbed the fur on his chest. "He was my friend too," she whispered.

Typhlosion let out a halfhearted chuckle. "Fine. I do deserve you then."

"Good. Now how about you prove it again." Lucario nipped at his neck again, harder this time, enough to get a not so halfhearted growl out of him.

* * *

Gardevoir walked beside Lucario, a short distance behind Rob and Typhlosion. Another warm, cloudless sky reflected off the calm lake surface to their left. They hadn't made much progress last nigh, Lucario and Typhlosion not returning until almost full dark. Despite the delay, Rod said they'd make it to their destination before nightfall – Mahogany Town. The thought of being back in a human city put her on edge. This time she'd be more watchful.

Typhlosion now stood almost as tall as Rob, and a good measure taller than her. His shoulder slumped though, a mirror of Rob's. The pair of them seemed to be taking it the hardest. She didn't think Rob slept last night, not that she could either.

Lucario poked Gardevoir in the ribs, though her enthusiasm seemed forced. "I didn't inspire you last night, did I? If it's anything like aura, I'm sure you could feel us."

"No., because I didn't spy on you." Gardevoir didn't even have the energy for embarrassment. She had too many other things bothering her.

"Well, it's not really spying. It's just so hard to block out." Lucario ran a finger along the small of Gardevoir's back, but she didn't give her friend the reaction Lucario wanted.

Lucario spoke through aura so only Gardevoir could hear. "I hid." Her eyes fixed on the ground.

"Hmm?" She rarely saw her friend anything short of cheery, though a quick check on Lucario's emotions showed she might just be better at putting on a good face.

"When that monster attacked, I hid. I saw that it focused on you four, and I just- I ran and hid."

"You couldn't have done anything. It would have killed you as well." Arrogant or not, the others wouldn't have stood a chance against the monster.

Lucario continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "Something corrupted its aura. Nothing should feel like that, wild anger, and something else, something unnatural, like something manipulated its aura, but that's impossible. It scared me, and I ran."

Gardevoir had felt something off too, but nothing about that abomination felt right. Of course, others said that about her. "You have no blame in it. If I'd been faster, I could have saved him. I should have saved everyone. I could have done it." It all rest on her. The others didn't have the strength she had access to. If she had never joined Rob, the others likely wouldn't have had to suffer through any of this.

_Find this_. The psychic signature blazed like a beacon in her mind. It didn't belong to any of her friends.

* * *

Lights glimmered in the distance as they approached Mahogany Town. Few humans moved about in the late evening darkness, and keeping tabs on the people around them didn't strain her abilities. The passing smells of hot food on the other hand beckoned to her. She missed eating warm meals.

Mahogany Town didn't have the sky reaching buildings that some of the other cities had. Instead, it reminded her a little of Rob's hometown. Small but neat houses, a few stores with painted signs instead of the harsh neon lighting that larger cities favored.

One building always looked the same, its red and white sign illuminated high in the air so trainers could find the building easily. Rob led them into the pokemon center with Typhlosion silent at his side.

"Sir are you okay?" the woman at the front desk asked before Rob could say a word.

How long since they'd been well rested? After so long of traveling, her eyes looked past the minor details, the dirty snarls in Typhlosion's fur, Rob's gaunt face that still carried the fading yellow tinge of his black eye. Even Lucario looked bony with their food so heavily rationed. Gardevoir had no interest in seeing a mirror; the grime on her once pristine white gown told her enough.

"I'll be fine," Rob said in a hollow tone. "We just need a room for a few days, and if there's any place that will deliver food this late."

"Of course. Your room should have menus on the desk, and there's a phone. But are you sure you're all right? I don't mean to pry, but you don't look so good."

Rob shook his head tiredly. "I'll be fine, we've just had a rough few days."

The woman pursed her lips but handed Rob a key, almost reluctantly. "Your pokemon-"

"Yeah, I'll have them checked up, but for now we just need some food and rest."

"You really should get them looked at. One of the nurses should be free if you just want to wait-"

Rob cut her off again, but it sounded more like another person spoke through his body, someone dead. "Thanks, but really, we'll be okay. I promise I'll get my team checked out tomorrow morning."

The nurse nodded. "I'll have someone come by in a bit just to check if you need anything, and there will be someone at the desk all night."

Rob forced a smile. "Thanks."

Their room looked just like every other they'd stayed at. A single, small bed, desk, dresser with a beat-up looking TV. And though it smelled faintly of chemical cleaners, the sheets looked fresh and the bathroom was clean. Rob's pack slid off his back and to the floor against the dresser.

Rob sighed and looked to the desk where a small stack of papers rested. He flipped through a few of them. "You guys can clean yourselves up. I'm going to see if I can get us something to eat."

While she watched Rob, the other two slipped into the bathroom. Lucario liked water, thought she probably had to drag Typhlosion in with her. Gardevoir sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed to wait. Getting some of the filth off of her would be a nice step towards normalcy.

Her poor mate. What would she have wanted someone to say to her after Abra died? She couldn't think of anything. Words seemed so useless. And she hadn't even wanted Rob near her when they'd first met, though so much had changed since then.

Rob placed the phone down, and Gardevoir went to him. His shirt felt stiff from dried sweat and dirt. She didn't care, the dirt would wash off. He froze as her arms wrapped around him, not saying anything.

She lay the side of her face against his back. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know." The lack of anything in his voice haunted her.

Gardevoir closed her eyes. His emotions felt just as empty. For now, this was the best she could do. None of the humans or pokemon in the building matched the signature Abra gave her.

"If you don't want me around," she sent quietly to his mind, "I'll understand. But if I can help, I'll do anything I can for you."

"No, thank you." Rob placed a hand over hers. "I just don't know what I'm doing." A sentiment that rang true , delivered in a cold, distant voice.

She couldn't offer him anything more, so she clung to him tightly and became lost in the disparate rhythm of their heartbeats. What should have been a quick journey after discovering the lake had turned into an eternity.

The cease of water flowing from the bathroom snapped Rob back into motion, and he gently pulled her arms away. "I'm going to clean up real quick. I won't take long." After grabbing a few items from his pack, Rob stepped into the bathroom as his other two pokemon exited, followed by a large cloud of steam.

A shower made an incredible difference to the two. Their coats gleamed once again, no longer matted and dull. The quick drying, likely thanks to Typhlosion's natural heat, gave the two a puffed up look to cover up the lack of a decent meal in – she couldn't even remember how long it had been.

"Not joining him?" Lucario teased, though it sounded forced. Her warm, soft fur brushed against Gardevoir's arm, and both joined her on the bed, Typhlosion laying down as far away from Gardevoir as he could manage.

Gardevoir shook her head. "Sometimes it's nice to be alone, even if it's just a few minutes." She contained her telepathy so only Lucario would hear it. Her friend looked pensive before nodding and falling silent.

After a time, the shower ceased, and Rob called out from the bathroom. "I'm done, Gardevoir."

She rose and opened the bathroom door, steam rushing out to cover her in a damp sheen. Rob stood before the small sink, a towel around his waist and a razor in his hand to remove the scraggly hairs that had begun to take over his face while they'd been lost. A large discoloration on his side caught her eye, a fading bruise that covered his left ribs. She paused and ran finger gently across the marked skin, feeling Rob shiver slightly at her touch. He watched her in the mirror.

The shower had a different type of lever, but she figured it out quickly, and after the others, didn't have to wait for the water to warm. She stepped into the stream of hot water and watched as days of dirt and grime washed from her body. Tiny bottles of scented soap sat on an indent, and despite how much she hated the overpowering smell that humans found easy to ignore, they did help scrub the filth from her hair and skin.

By the time she finished her quick wash, Rob had already exited, and she grabbed a towel to dry herself, the air humid. Her hair didn't quite sit right, but the relaxing heat fogged her mind and muscles to the point that she didn't really care. She felt clean, and that was enough.

Outside in the small room, Rob placed two large bags of food. "Good timing." He sat down and waved Gardevoir over, the other two already sitting in a rough circle on the floor, fur still fluffed up.

For the first time since this whole thing started, Gardevoir didn't have to force a smile, and it seemed the others didn't either, each too busy opening plastic containers and devouring the contents. Sweet, salty, spicy, Gardevoir barely even tasted the food, her hunger outweighing the thought of savoring the meal. She felt energy restored to her weary body.

A knock at the door made Gardevoir to jump. She mentally scolded herself, so much for being extra vigilant, though a quick check with her mind indicated a single human, no inherently malicious intent that she could feel. They knocked again.

"Probably the nurse to check on you guys." Rob stood with a sigh and checked the door. It swung open to reveal a young man in a navy long-sleeved shirt and dark khakis. "Yes?"

"Rob, from Azalea correct? The Gardevoir trainer?" the stranger asked.

Rob froze. "Who are you?"

"I'm just here to deliver a message." The stranger handed a thick envelope to Rob. "The person who sent this seemed rather eager for a reply, so I wouldn't keep him waiting. Enjoy your night." The man tipped an imaginary hat and left.

Rob stood in the doorway, transfixed by the envelope. Realizing he stood half in the hallway, he closed the door and carefully opened the message. It contained a single sheet of paper and something else Rob didn't remove.

As Rob read the letter, the despair that she'd seen during their trek to the city crept back across his features. The paper shook slightly in a grip that crinkled the edge Rob held. Minutes passed in silence until Rob finally folded the letter back up and slipped it into the torn envelope. He set it on the desk and sat back down with his food but didn't touch it.

"Who was that?" Gardevoir asked.

Rob picked up a bowl and faked interest in it. "It was nothing," he said, the most unconvincing lie Gardevoir had ever heard, but Rob looked on the verge of tears. A moment later, in a hoarse voice, he added, "just some paperwork for my trainer's license." A weak embellishment.

Gardevoir stared but couldn't bring herself to push Rob further. She'd seen him sad, hurt, but she couldn't remember ever seeing her mate cry. The thought of what that letter contained truly frightened her.

Rob cleared his throat, but managed to speak in a calm if emotionless voice. "I know the past weeks haven't gone smoothly." He stared into his bowl as he spoke. "I don't know where we're going from here, or what I plan to do. All this time I've just been trying to collect badges for the league challenge while I try and figure that out, but it may no longer be an option.

"Whatever happens though, I want you guys to know that you mean everything to me. Even you Lucario, no matter how often you spend glaring at me." A ghost of a smile crossed his face. "So no matter what happens in the next few days, I love you all."

Gardevoir felt cold, her body hesitant to move or even continue breathing. What was in that letter? Bother Typhlosion and Lucario had their mouths open as if about to speak, but Rob silenced them by pulling two pokeballs from his belt.

"I hate to do this to you guys after everything, but I need to speak with Gardevoir for a bit. Sleep well." In a flash of red light, Rob returned the others before they had the chance to protest.

Gardevoir waited, but Rob remained silent, staring at the two pokeballs in his hand. The question left her mouth before she could think. "What was in the letter?"

Rob stood as if dazed, leaving the food on the floor and flopping onto the bed. He covered his face with his hands. "I'm so fucked." It sounded like a whimper.

"Please, what's going on?" Gardevoir climbed onto the bed and laid a hand on Rob's chest.

"Team Rocket, they know everything about me." Rob quivered beneath her touch.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. They want to meet with me, and they – fuck, they threatened my family."

Gardevoir sank against Rob, laying atop hip. She tried to wrap her arms around him, to comfort him somehow. She'd never seen him this distraught. He'd always seemed invincible, a source of stability even after she'd let him down back in Ecruteak. Now he clung to her as if she were the last hold on a sheer cliff.

Gardevoir squeezed him in return. "Maybe they're just trying to scare you."

"No. I believe them." His fingers dug into her back painfully. "They killed Sandslash. That monster belonged to them. And they want me to meet them tomorrow, with you."

Something primal welled up within her, a feeling beyond anger or hatred. It felt cold, made her cold, but offered strength. "Remember when you asked me if I'd kill a human?"

No," Rob whispered. "I won't let you do that to yourself, not for me."

Anger filled her telepathy, her mind unable to contain it. "I will not let these people keep hurting you, my mate."

"No. There's too many. They're too strong."

Psychic energy sparked from Gardevoir's skin. "You think I'm weak? I won't fail you again."

Wincing from the psychic energy striking his skin, Rob placed a hand against her cheek. "You're the strongest pokemon I've ever seen, but they're too many, and it would hurt you too much. I know you don't want to do this."

"I do. I will, for you."

Rob shook his head. "They could still kill my family, and if they could create a Gyarados like that, who knows what kind of pokemon they have. I won't let you risk yourself."

Gardevoir let the energy drain from her. "Then what?"

"I don't know," Rob whispered, gently stroking the back of her head. "But tomorrow, I'm going to go to them."

"No you can't-"

Rob hushed her. "You can come if you wish, but only if you promise me that you'll leave, without me, if I give you the order."

"This is my fault. I won't let them lay a hand on you."

"Promise me, or you'll stay in your pokeball somewhere safe, and I'll go there alone."

"But-"

"Promise me."

Gardevoir lay against his chest and let Rob feel her claws. "I promise." She would never let Rob give those commands if it came down to it. If he thought he could stop her, then he was a bigger fool than those who thought they could hurt her mate.

Rob pulled Gardevoir closer and placed a light kiss on her neck. "This could be it," he said, running a hand along the base of her back fin.

Gardevoir sighed contentedly at the simple touch. "Pessimism doesn't suit you."

A mirthless chuckle rumbled in his chest, but he didn't push the point. Instead, he let his hands roam across her sensitive ribs, down her back, across her hips.

Gardevoir squirmed against him in encouragement. How long had it been? If only humans didn't wear so much clothing. She slid her hands beneath his shirt, careful of his bruised ribs. The heat from his body sent a calming warmth through her, hot breath against her neck. Maybe, this time, things would work out. It couldn't be so bad as it seemed.


End file.
